THE 


HARDWOOD  FINISHER. 


WITH  RULES  AND  DIRECTIONS, 


FOR    FINISHING    IN    NATURAL   COLORS    AND    IN   ANTIQUE, 
MAHOGANY,   CHERRY,  BIRCH,  WALNUT,  OAK,  ASH,  RED- 
WOOD,   SYCAMORE,    PINE,    AND   ALL  OTHER  DOMES- 
TIC WOODS. 


FIXISHIXG,    FILLING,    STAINING,     VARNJSBIXQ,    AXD   FOLJSH1XG. 


ALSO  .- 
MISCELLANEOUS    RULES    FOR    DYEING,    GILDING,    AND    BRONZING 


COMPILED  AND  EDITED  BY 

FRED  T.  HODGSON, 

Editor  of  THE  OPERATIVE  BUILDER. 

Late  Editor  of  "  BUILDER  AND  WOOD-WORKER,"  and  "  CABINET-MAKER 
AND  UPHOLSTERER." 


NEW  YORK  : 

THE  INDUSTRIAL  PUBLICATION  COMPANY, 
1892. 

Copyright   secured  1892,  by  John  H.  Phin. 


PREFACE. 


THE  subject  of  wood-finishing  is  one  that  'Interest* 
son  who  has  anything  to  do  with  the  construction  or  decoration 
of  buildings,  be  he  architect,  carpenter  and  joiner,  painter, 
decorator  or  carver,  and  it  is  to  meet  the  requirements  of  these 
artists  and  artisans,  in  these  respects,  that  this  work  has  been 
prepared. 

In  order  to  make  the  book  a&  complete  as  possible  it  has  been 
necessary  to  consult  a  variety  of  authorities  on  the  subject,  and 
cull  from  them  whatever  in  my  opinion — based  on  experience — I 
thought  best,  and  here  and  there  add  to,  or  eliminate,  such  mat- 
ter as  my  experience  proved  to  be  good  on  the  one  hand,  and 
what  I  thought  useless  or  absurd  on  the  other. 

I  am  of  course  aware  that  there  are  some  methods  of  finishing 
that  I  have  not  touched  upon ;  such  as  the  finishing  of  musical 
instruments,  toys,  wooden  bric-a-brac,  laquered  Japanned  ware, 
walking  sticks,  etc.,  etc.,  but  as  this  work  is  only  intended  for 
the  finishing  of  wood-work  employed  in  the  construction  and 
completion  of  buildings,  it  was  thought  better  to  confine  it  to 
that  department  alone;  thereby  keeping  its  cost  within  reasona- 
ble limits. 

Among  the  works  drawn  from  I  may  mention,  CABINET-MAK- 
ING AND  UPHOLSTERY,  THE  BUILDER  AND  WOOD-WORKERS,  CAR- 
PENTRY AND  BUILDING,  SCIENTIFIC  AMERICAN,  FURNITURE  MEN'S 
MANUAL,  SPON'S  WORKSHOP  RECEIPTS,  THE  WORKSHOP  COMPAN- 
ION, ENGLISH  MECHANIC,  HOUSE  PAINTING  AND  DECORATING, 
THE  PAINTERS  MAGAZINE  AND  COACH  PAINTER,  ENCLYCLOPEDIA 
BF.ITANICJA,  ninth  edition,  and  many  other  works. 

(3) 


4  PKEFACE. 

While  believing  the  work,  as  now  presented  to  be  equal,  if  not 
superior  to  any  published  on  the  subject ;  I  feel  that  it  is  defect- 
ive in  some  minor  points ;  as  it  would  be  impossible  to  convey  to 
the  mind  of  the  operator  all  the  minutae  of  each  and  every  process 
required  in  wood-finishing;  for  the  perfect  wood-finisher  can 
only  be  the  outcome  of  experience  and  observation  added  to  the 
knowledge  and  instructions  derived  from  the  teachings  of  others. 
The  latter  is  offered  in  this  volume ;  the  experience  and  observa- 
tion must  rest  with  the  learner  ;  and  if  he  takes  advantage  of  his 
opportunities  and  masters  all  the  details  offered  herewith,  there  is 
no  valid  reason  why  he  should  not  become  an  expert  WOOD-FIN- 
ISHER. 

FRED  T.  HODGSON. 

NEW  YORK, 

August,  1892. 


INTRODUCTION. 


DOUBTLESS,  the  arts  of  Carpentry  and  Joinery  were  among  the 
oldest  in  the  world,  and  these  arts  must  have  flourished  for  many 
centuries  before  anything  like  polish  or  fine  finish  on  wood-work 
were  even  thought  of.  The  handles  of  stone  weapons  were  prob- 
ably the  first  specimens  of  the  wood-worker's  art,  then  clubs  and 
other  wooden  weapons  subsequently  the  "dug-out"  and  the 
paddle  or  oar.  Huts  or  wooden  dwellings  with  doors  and  shut- 
ters, roofs  and  floors  did  not  appear  until  much  later. 

Nature  always  makes  her  works  fittest  for  the  intended  end, 
and  beautiful  as  well.  So  long  as  mankind  were  in  constant  con- 
tact with  Nature's  works  they  tried  to  imitate  her  methods,  but 
at  last  this  involved  two  processes,  so,  that,  when  they  ceased  to 
care  for  beauty,  they  grudged  the  necessary  labor  required  to  at- 
tain it.  Therefore,  in  anything  made  by  the  hands  of  man,  with 
no  other  motive  in  view  but  that  of  utility,  the  chances  are  a 
thousand  to  one  that  beauty  will  be  conspicuous  only  by  its 
absence. 

That  wood  plays  a  very  important  part  in  the  affairs  of  man- 
kind, I  scarcely  need  mention,  and  nature  seems  to  have  well  un- 
derstood our  wants  for  it  is  claimed  by  those  who  claim  to  know, 
that  about  one-third  of  the  earth's  surface  is  covered  with  trees, 
all  of  which  are  capable  of  contributing  in  some  form  or  another 
to  the  wants  of  man. 

In  this  country,  the  art  of  using  wood  for  almost  every  pur- 
pose, has  gone  far  beyond  anything  that  has  ever  been  attempted 
by  any  other  people.  The  introduction  of  wood-working 
machinery  for  the  rapid  manipulation  of  intricate  mouldings, 

(5) 


6  INTRODUCTION. 

spirals,  flutings,  headings  and  carvings,  has  in  a  great  measure, 
had  a  tendency  to  elevate  the  taste  of  the  whole  community, 
though  I  must  confess  that  artistic  excellence  of  a  high  order,  in 
the  mechanical  arts,  is  now  scarcely  found  among  our  younger 
workmen  ;  machinery  having  almost  done  away  with  the  neces- 
sity for  the  fine  kinds  of  hand  and  brain  work.  Fashion,  which 
rules  despotically  in  the  wardrobe,  influences,  to  a  greater  or 
lesser  degree,  the  style  and  finish  of  wood-work,  and  to  a  certain 
extent,  the  kind  of  wood  that  must  be  used  for  certain  purposes. 
It  is  but  a  few  years  since,  when  no  other  wood  than  clean  white 
pine,  would  be  permitted  to  do  service  in  a  building.  Every 
thing  must  be  pine,  floors,  doors,  windows,  and  skirtings,  even 
to  the  bath  fittings.  Then  Dame  fashion  sent  forth  her  decree, 
and  a  mixture  of  white  pine,  Norway  and  Southern  pine,  was 
used  followed  shortly  afterward  by  the  abominable  mixture  of  ash, 
walnut  and  chestnut.  Some  architect  who  desereves  well  of  his 
country,  introduced  all  walnut  and  all  mahogany  fitments ;  and 
at  once,  people  of  taste  who  saw  this  manner  of  finish  noticed  its 
superiority  over  the  "  trash  -like  "  mixture  at  once;  and  the 
fashion  then  of  finishing  in  one  kind  of  wood  became  the  rage. 
Walnut  was  found  too  dark  for  general  purposes  and  was  soon 
abandoned  for  the  lighter  woods ;  chestnut,  sycamore,  ash  and 
oak  were  then  tried,  but  I  believe  I  voice  the  opinion  of  a  major- 
ity of  architects  when  I  say  that,  with  the  exception  of  oak,  the 
light  colored  woods  were  not  successful,  from  an  aesthetic  point  of 
view,  and  it  is  on  record,  that  many  buildings  finished  in  these 
woods,  have  recently  had  their  wood-work  cleaned  and  stained 
to  imitate  darker  woods  or  have  been  painted.  One  of  the  valu- 
able qualities  of  white  oak,  is,  that  it  grows  richer  in  color  as  it 
gets  older,  and  no  matter  how  it  is  finished,  so  long  as  the  grain 
is  visible,  it  mellows  and  improves  with  age.  This  is  a  quality 
that  no  other  of  our  American  woods  possess  in  the  same  degree. 
All  the  oaks  have  this  quality  to  a  certain  extent,  but  the  white 
oak  (Quercus  alba),  possesses  it  more  than  any  other.  Mahogany 
too,  has  this  quality  largely,  if  true  Spanish  mahogany  is  used, 


INTRODUCTION.  7 

but  little  of  this  is  in  the  market ;  though  there  are  many  woods 
which  have  the  appearance  of  mahogany,  and  are  called  mahogany, 
and  both  buyer  and  user  are  oftentimes  deceived,  and  pay  for 
what  they  do  not  get. 

We  have  often  been  reproached  with  willfully  or  ignorantly  ig- 
noring or  destroying  our  own  handsome  woods,  while  importing 
from  abroad  at  excessive  cost,  and  the  payment  of  heavy  duties, 
foreign  woods  which  are  much  inferior  to  many  of  our  native 
productions.  This  folly  prevailed  at  a  time  when  it  was 
fashionable  and  even  popular  to  believe  there  was  no  merit  in 
domestic  productions  of  any  sort,  this  state  of  things,  how- 
ever is  now  at  an  end  ;  and  in  the  neighborhood  of  all  large 
towns,  and  in  country  places  as  well ;  a  finish  in  hard  wood  is  the 
rule,  and  a  finish  in  pine  the  exception,  if  the  building  to  be 
finished,  makes  any  pretension  of  being  "up  to  the  times." 

With  regard  to  the  difference  in  cost  between  a  finish  in  the 
best  clear  pine,  and  the  best  selected  hard  wood,  there 
is  really  but  little,  if  any,  if  we  take  into  consideration  dura- 
bility and  good  taste.  As  between  pine  wood  and  good 
well  finished  hard  wood,  the  disparity  in  value  and  merit 
is  so  very  little  as  to  completely  silence  any  comparison. 
Between  poor  pine  and  poor  hard  wood  the  preference  should 
by  all  means  be  given  to  the  former  ;  because,  poor  pine  as 
it  reveals  its  defects  can  be  puttied  and  painted  in  a  manner  to 
disguise  them ;  whereas  the  defects  of  poor  hard  wood  are  al- 
most incurable.  The  rationale  of  the  subject  seems  to  resolve 
itself  into  the  following  statement. 

Modern  taste  in  expensive  dwellings  calls  for  the  free  use  of 
hard  woods.  It  is  immaterial  which  are  used,  but  highly 
essential  that  the  best  seasoned  woods  should  be  selected  ;  and, 
further,  that  they  should  be  skillfully  treated  and  finished. 

The  principal  recommendation  of  hard  wood  is  that  it  ad- 
mits of  a  treatment  which  renders  it  impervious  to  the  effects  of 
atmospheric  changes,  and,  therefore  can  be  made  more  durable 
and  ultimately  less  expensive  than  pine  wood.  A  hard  wood  that 


8  INTRODUCTION. 

is  well  seasoned  before  use,  that  is  treated  with  proper  fillers  to 
close  up  its  pores,  and  then  finished  with  successive  coats  of 
copal  varnish,  well  rubbed  in  with  pumice  stone,  being  finally 
brought  to  a  higher  flat  finish,  presents  the  most  attractive,  serv- 
iceable and  reliable  style  of  wood-work  that  can  be  introduced 
into  a  house.  Well  finished  hard  wood  obviates  the  expense  and 
annoyance  of  constant  renewals,  which  pine  work  calls  for  in  patch- 
ing, puttying  and  painting.  The  most  brilliant  gloss  of  finished 
hard  wood  can  be  restored  by  a  skilled  person  without  disturbing 
the  furniture  or  carpets  of  a  house. 

Pine  work  seems  peculiarly  and  incomparably  adapted  for  cheap 
work.  A  good  article  of  common  pine,  suitable  for  ordinary 
work  can  be  procured,  and  worked  at  considerably  less  expense 
than  would  be  involved  in  using  good  hard  wood.  The  use  of 
poor  hard  wood  in  any  work  should  not  be  tolerated  or  thought 
of  under  any  circumstances,  for  the  simple  reason  that  it  is  cer- 
tain to  create  annoyance  and  expense,  which  no  house-owner, 
especially  of  moderate  priced  property, should  be  subjected  to. 

I  have  deemed  the  foregoing  introduction  necessary  as  it  will 
enable  the  workman  to  have  some  idea  of  the  development  of  the 
art  of  joinery,  and  the  transition  from  the  use  of  pine  and  the 
softer  woods,  to  that  of  the  hard  woods. 

In  the  following  work  it  is  my  intention  to  take  each  of  the 
woods  most  in  use  ;  describe  them,  say  what  I  think  they  are 
best  adapted  for,  and  the  best  way  to  finish  them,  as  far  as  my 
knowledge  extends.  By  this  means  the  reader  will  have,  under 
one  head,  all  the  book  contains  concerning  the  particular  wood 
he  is  about  to  finish. 


PRELIMINARY. 


If  the  workman  who  finally  finishes  wood-work,  had  the  selec- 
tion of  the  materials  out  of  which  the  work  is  formed  ;  and 
wrought  the  work  himself;  the  following  suggestions  would 
scarcely  be  required,  for  he  would  see  to  it  that  the  material  was 
free  from  shakes,  cracks,  worm  holes,  doze,  sap  and  fractures ; 
and  he  would  so  choose  his  material,  that  the  full  beauty  of  the 
grain  would  show,  when  the  polish  coat  went  on.  He  would 
also  see,  that  the  work  was  clean.  That  is,  that  no  plane  marks 
were  visible,  no  rough  spots,  or  cross-grains  noticeable,  and  that 
all  angles  were  sharp  and  definite,  all  mouldings  smooth  and  not 
a  nail  Head  or  screw  top  to  be  seen,  nor  any  point  that  could  sug- 
gest a  nail  head.  As  a  rule,  however,  the  workman  who  puts  on 
the  last  finishing  touches  never  makes  the  work,  though  he  is  al- 
ways expected  to  cover  and  hide  all  the  faults  of  "bad  workman- 
ship, bad  selection  of  timber,  and  a  thousand  other  objectionable 
things  in  connection  with  work,  over  which  he  has  had  no  con- 
trol. In  order  to  aid  the  finisher  as  much  as  possible,  I  give  a 
few  hints  herewith,  for  the  use  of  the  workman  whose  duty  it 
may  be  to  prepare  and  put  up  the  work  to  be  finished.  The  sug- 
gestions given,  are  equally  applicable  for  hard  and  soft  woods  and 
I  trust  they  will  not  be  out  of  place. 

First,  then  see  that  the  material  is  dry,  free  from  imperfections, 
of  the  full  sizes  required,  and  of  such  variety  of  grain  as  may  be 
suitable  for  the  purpose  intended.  Next,  make  all  joints  close 
and  as  near  perfect  as  possible  as  on  this  point  rests,  in  a  great 
measure,  the  artistic  appearance  of  the  work.  Make  all  angles 
sharp  and  clean,  and  all  mitered  mouldings  true  and  with  perfect 
intersections.  Never  use  glass  paper  where  a  scraper  can  be  ap- 

(9) 


10 


THE   HAKDVVOOD   FINISHER. 


plied,  and  when  a  large  quantity  of  mouldings  of  similar  contour 
and  size  are  to  be  employed ;  it  is  always  better  to  make  a  scraper 
their  reverse  shape,  and  use  it  in  cleaning  and  preparing  the 
mouldings  for  the  varnisher,  than  to  use  glass  paper  for  the  pur- 
pose. 

Wherever  possible  and  suitable  I  would  advise  the  use  of  glue 
in  putting  up  finish,  and  I  may  here  remark  to  the  workman,  that 
after  a  little  practice  in  the  use  of  glue  and  a  little  knowledge  of 
its  worth  and  capabilities,  he  will  prefer  it,  to  nails  or  screws 
where  he  can  apply  it ;  further  on  I  will  give  a  few  hints  and  sug- 
gestions on  the  proper  methods  of  using  glue  in  house  finishing. 
Of  course,  I  am  well  aware  that  the  use  of  nails  and  screws  is  a 
necessity  in  wood  finishing,  but  where  the  work  is  to  be  left 
natural  color,  or  stained  and  polished,  there  should  not  be  the 
slightest  suspicion  of  a  nail  or  screw  head,  and  to  meet  this  con- 
dition the  skilled  workman  resorts  to  several  expedients  to  hide 
the  fastenings  among  which  are  the  following.  These  methods, 
which  are  similar,  are  called  "sliver-nailing,"  or  sometimes, 
"  chip  blind-nailing."  In  the  first  method,  shown  at  Fig.  i,  the 


FIG.  1. 


THE    HARDWOOD   FINISHER. 


11 


wood  is  raised  with  a  firmer  chisel  and  the  screw  or  nail   is  then 
put  in  place  and  driven  home.     At  Fig.  2,  the  "  sliver  "  or  chip, 


FIG.  2. 


is  raised  with  a  gouge.  In  the  first  instance  a  sharp  knife  should 
be  employed  to  draw  lengthwise  with  the  grain  two  deep  cuts  the 
•width  of  the  chisel,  as  this  keeps  the  sides  of  the  chip  from  split- 
ting. The  chisel  should  be  set  at  a.  steep  angle  at  first  till  the 
proper  depth  is  reached,  and  then  made  to  turn  out  a  cut  of  even 
thickness  until  there  is  room  to  drive  in  a  screw  or  nail.  If  too 
sharp  a  curve  is  given,  the  "  sliver  "  is  likely  to  break  apart  in 
being  straightened  out  again.  In  Fig.  2,  I  show  how  the 
"  sliver  "  is  raised  by  using  a  gouge.  To  do  this  nicely  a  gouge 
about  three-quarters  of  an  inch  across  the  face  should  be  used  and 
the  curve  should  be  quick.  In  this  case  no  knife  cut  is  needed, 
as  the  corners  of  the  gouge  will  cut  as  it  progresses. 

The  cut  being  made  and  the  "  sliver  "  slightly  raised  as  shown 
in  both  cuts,  the  screw  or  nail  may  be  driven  without  disturbing 
either  the  "sliver"  or  the  cut  underneath.  See  that  the  head 
of  either  screw  or  nail  be  sunk  beneath  surface  of  recess,  so  that 
the  "  sliver  "  will  fit  back  in  its  place  without  obstruction.  Now 


12  THE  HARDWOOD   FINISHES. 

take  properly  prepared  glue  and,  after  warming  the  "sliver  "  and 
recess  with  a  warm  cloth,  cover  the  underside  of  "sliver  "  and 
the  wood  underneath,  seeing  that  the  glue  is  not  too  thick ;  press 
down  the  "  sliver  "  in  place,  then  rub  with  the  face  of  a  hammer 
until  the  glue  holds  ;  then  leave  until  dry,  when  the  whole  may 
be  dressed  off  and  finished.  Another  way  is  to  glue  the  "  sliver  " 
down  and  then  take  a  flat  piece  of  pine  about  an  inch  thick,  and 
glue  over  the  "sliver,"  rubbing  the  pine  block  to  and  fro  until 
the  glue  takes.  The  block  is  left  on  until  dry  and  solid.  The 
pine  block  may  be  split  off,  and  the  face  of  the  wood  dressed 
clean  and  finished.  .  In  hard-wood  finish  for  interior  housework 
this  latter  plan  of  fastening  up  stuff  is  often  resorted  to. 

When  the  work  has  been  made  secure  by  any  or  all  the 
methods  described,  the  next  thing  to  be  considered  is  the  smooth- 
ing and  final  finishing,  and  these  two  processes  as  here  defined, 
pertain  to  all  sorts  of  wood,  hard  or  soft,  that  is  intended  to  be 
finished  in  the  natural  colors  or  stained.  In  order  to  obtain  a 
fine  and  substantial  finish  the  work  must  either  be  smoothed  fine 
with  a  plane,  scraped  with  a  steel  scraper,  or  rubbed  down  with 
the  finest  glass  paper.  For  very  hard  or  irregular  grained  wood, 
such  as  is  made  into  veneers  or  employed  for  the  finer  kinds  of 
work,  the  cleaning-off  process  consists  first  in  planing  the  surfaces 
with  a  toothed  plane,  having  a  serrated  edge  like  a  comb,  this 
tool  scratching  away  the  high  places  and  leveling  the  surface 
without  pulling  or  splintering  the  wood,  as  a  common  knife  will 
do  unless  very  carefully  adjusted  and  worked.  After  tooth-plan- 
ing, the  surfaces  are  scraped  with  a  steel  hand  scraper  until  the 
scratches  made  by  a  tooth  plane  are  removed,  and  the  surface  is 
then  finished  by  rubbing  with  glass-paper  of  different  finenesses. 

Straight-grained  hard  woods  can  be  cleaned  off  by  planing 
with  a  common  smoothing  plane,  and  then  scraping  and  rubbing 
them  with  glass-paper.  Soft  wood  requires  only  careful  planing 
and  glass -papering,  but  if  scraping  is  omitted  great  care  must  be 
taken  in  planing,  or  else  the  plane  marks  will  show  by  reflection 
when  the  surface  is  polished,  varnished  or  painted.  I  have 


THE    HARDWOOD    FINISHER.  13 

known  of  cases  where  the  finishers  were  wrongly  accused  of  im- 
proper execution  of  the  work  because  the  finish,  after  being  ex- 
posed to  the  changes  of  temperature  occurring  in  a  year,  became 
impaired  on  account  of  the  appearance  of  fine  cracks  running 
with  the  grain,  differing  from  those  caused  by  the  improper  ap- 
plication of  varnish,  which  always  runs  across  the  grain.  Among 
other  reasons  for  this  premature  impairment,  one  is  that  the  fine 
fibres  become  affected ;  sandpapering  the  wood  lengthwise  or 
with  the  grain  will  loosen  these,  but  will  not  break  them  off. 
The  application  of  the  filler  will  force  them  down  into  the  pores, 
the  filler  making  them  adhere  perfectly  tight  for  some  time  ;  but 
the  changing  of  the  temperature  expands  and  contracts  the  wood, 
thus  causing  the  fibres  to  loosen  and  work  out,  making  their  ap- 
pearance in  fine  cracks  and  impairing  the  finish. 

This  fault  most  frequently  occurs  in  open -grained  wood 
especially  when  employed  in  the  common  class  of  cabinet-work 
which  is  transferred  to  the  finishing-room  directly  upon  leaving 
the  machinery  where  it  has  been  sandpapered  lengthwise  by  a  set 
of  cylinders  under  heavy  pressure,  and  should  be  guarded  against 
with  great  care.  "This  sandpapering,"  finishers  will  generally 
say,  "  is  a  matter  for  the  cabinet  maker  or  the  carpenter  ;  daub  it 
over  and  let  it  go."  It  is  immaterial  to  them  how  the  finish 
holds  out  after  leaving  their  hands ;  but  I  find  it  is  well  for  a 
finisher  to  do  his  duty  by  at  least  insisting  upon  having  the  work 
lightly  cross-sandpapered  with  paper  with  No.  i.  or  No.  i^ 
paper.  This  process  will  loosen  the  fibres  at  both  ends ;  conse- 
quently, they  will  fall  off,  or,  if  they  do  not  do  so,  they  should  be 
dusted  off  previous  to  filling. 

There  is  one  more  source  of  injury  which  should  be  guarded 
against  with  great  care,  and  that  is  finishing  over  wet  timber;  nor 
should  steam,  water  or  dampness  in  any  form  be  allowed  to  come 
in  contact  with  the  smooth  dry  surface,  as  it  will  raise  the  grain, 
making  redressing  by  the  joiner  a  necessity. 

In  their  natural  state  all  woods  are  more  or  less  porous  consist- 
ing of  bundles  of  hard  fibres,  with  interstices  filled  with  a  softer 


14  THE   HARDWOOD   FINISHER. 

substance.  These  constitute  the  grain,  and  as  the  hard  or  soft 
parts  predominate,  the  wood  is  said  to  be  hard,  fine,  or  close- 
grained,  or  soft  and  open-grained.  To  fill  these  softer  parts,  or 
pores,  and  give  to  the  whole  an  even,  uniform  surface,  hard,  and 
capable  of  a  brilliant  polish,  is  the  object  of  the  finishers'  art. 
This  hard,  firm  surface  was  formerly  gained  by  the  successive  ap- 
plication of  several  coats  of  varnish,  at  least  three  preliminary 
coats  being  required  to  fill  the  pores  ;  the  inequalities  were  then 
reduced  by  fine  sand  or  glass-paper,  and  several  additional  coats 
laid  on,  the  last,  after  becoming  thoroughly  hard  being  polished 
if  desired.  In  this  operation,  however,  a  great  quantity  of  var- 
nish is  absorbed  by  the  open  pores  of  the  wood,  and  it  is  conse- 
quently so  expensive  that  it  is  now  seldom  used.  Recourse  is 
therefore  had  to  various  plans  to  render  the  wood  non -absorbent 
before  applying  varnishes,  and  certain  compounds  called  fillers 
are  largely  used  for  this  purpose.  These  I  will  endeavor  to  de- 
scribe, and  give  the  methods  of  application  in  the  following  section. 

WOOD-FILLERS  AND  WOOD-FILLING. 

In  woods  employed  for  house  and  cabinet  work  there  are  two 
distinct  natures,  therefore  different  treatment  is  required  in  finish- 
ing. First,  there  is  the  coarse  or  open-grained  wood,  having  its 
surface  perforated  with  innumerable  pores  or  cells.  In  order  to 
obtain  a  smooth  and  even  finish,  these  pores  should  be  filled  up 
to  a  level  with  the  hard  grain,  or,  as  the  grainer  would  term  them, 
the  "lights"  of  the  wood.  Next  we  have  the  fine  or  close- 
grained  wood,  which,  like  the  preceding,  also  contains  these 
pores,  but  they  are  of  a  very  fine  character,  and  simply  sealing 
them  up  with  a  liquid  filler  will  enable  one  to  produce  a  fine 
smooth  finish,  which  we  shall  consider  farther  on. 

I  will  now  return  to  the  open  or  wide-grained  wood  which  re- 
quires more  attention  and  care  than  the  closer-grained  wood,  if 
same  results  are  expected.  There  are  many  things  that  will  serve 
the  purpose  of  fillers  and  make  pretty  fair  work  ;  among  these  may 


THE   HARDWOOD   FINISHEB.  15 

be  mentioned,  china  clay,  silver  white  and  corn  starch ;  the  best 
of  which  is  probably  the  last  named.  This  is  well  adapted  to  the 
work  being  equally  useful  with  light,  or  when  colored  with  dark 
wood  ;  one  fault  with  it,  is  that  it  never  hardens.  China  clay — 
the  English  is  the  best — makes  an  exceedingly  good  filler ;  it  is 
light  in  color,  very  fine  and  dries  as  hard  as  cement. 

There  are  an  hundred  ways  of  preparing  fillers  for  use,  and 
nearly  as  many  different  materials  for  making  them  ;  I  would 
recommend  however,  that  wherever  it  is  possible,  that  Wheeler's 
patent  quartz  filler  be  used ;  though  I  am  aware,  that  in  many 
cases,  it  may  not  be  advisable  to  use  it,  and  to  meet  these  rare 
conditions  the  following  mixtures  may  be  substituted. 

A  filler  should  be  so  mixed  that  the  greater  portion  of  the  vehicle 
will  penetrate  into  the  wood,  leaving  the  pigment  on  the  surface 
to  be  rubbed  into  the  pores  and  still  retain  enough  combining 
property  to  form  a  hard  and  impenetrable  surface.  This  de- 
pends entirely  upon  the  proportions  of  the  vehicles  employed,  and. 
as  different  pigments  require  different  quantities  of  vehicle,  I  sel- 
dom mix  filler  by  actual  measurement  unless  it  be  in  large 
amounts.  I  proceed  with  the  mixing  by  filling  my  pot 
two-thirds  full  of  the  dry  pigment,  then  add  boiled  linseed 
oil,  producing  the  consistency  of  putty,  then  dilute  with 
about  one  part  japan  and  two  parts  turpentine.  Should 
it  be  required  to  keep  the  wood  as  light  as  possible,  replace 
the  boiled  oil  with  raw,  using  a  smaller  quantity,  but  a  little 
more  japan.  For  all  light  wood  the  light  japan  should  be 
preferred,  although  there  are  many  who  never  use  anything  but 
the  common  brown.  Naptha  can  also  be  employed  in  place  of 
the  turpentine,  somewhat  reducing  the  expense ;  but,  as  naptha 
evaporates  much  faster,  it  prevents  the  operator  from  covering  an 
extended  surface  without  running  the  risk  of  having  it  dry  hard. 
This  causes  difficulty  at  "rubbing  it  in"  and  wiping  off  the  sur- 
plus, although  "wiping  off  "  should  not  proceed  until  the  filler 
has  flatted — or,  at  least,  "  set."  This  to  a  certain  extent  the 
operator  can  accelerate  or  retard  by  omitting  or  adding  a 


16  THE   HARDWOOD  FINISHER. 

small  quantity  of  oil,  keeping  in  view  the  fact  that  the  smaller 
the  quantity  of  oil  used,  the  lighter  colored,  but  the  less  durable, 
will  be  the  finish. 

Oil  is  sometimes  used  as  a  filler,  but  its  use  is  not  recom- 
mended ;  applied  directly  to  the  wood,  its  effect  is  to  swell  the 
fibres,  or  "raise  the  grain,"  which  remains_in  that  condition  un- 
til the  oil  becomes  entirely  dry  or  disappears.  During  this  time 
the  fibres  are  gradually  shrinking,  and  consequently  moving  or 
checking  the  varnish.  The  qualities  essential  to  a  good  filler  are 
that  it  shall  readily  enter  the  porous  portion  of  the  wood,  and  shall 
very  soon  harden  and  render  the  wood  impervious  to  the  varnish, 
which  should  lie  smoothly  upon  the  surface,  giving  brilliancy 
and  effect  to  the  natural  beauty  of  the  wood  ;  and  that  it  shall 
not  raise  the  grain  of  the  wood  ;  and  that  it  shall  not  change  the 
color  of  the  wood.  These  conditions  are  satisfactorily  fulfilled 
by  few  of  the  home-made  fillers  ordinarily  used  in  shops,  and 
while  I  give  a  number  of  receipts,  my  readers  are  advised  that 
they  will  obtain  better  satisfaction,  at  less  cost  by  purchasing 
some  of  the  patent  fillers  now  coming  into  general  use.  In  these 
fillers  very  little  oil  is  used  and  a  large  amount  of  dryers,  so  that 
the  wood  becomes  perfectly  dry  and  hard  in  a  few  hours  prevent- 
ing any  swelling  or  shrinking  of  the  fibres  of  the  wood  after  the 
varnish  is  applied.  The  following  fillers  should  be  allowed  to  dry 
until  quite  hard.  A  period  of  about  eight  hours  is  usually  suffi- 
cient, but  it  is  better  to  let  the  work  stand  for  twenty-four  hours 
before  touching  it  with  glass-paper.  In  applying  a  filler  it 
should  always  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  substance  of  wood  con- 
sists of  a  multitude  of  small  tubes  lying  side  by  side.  These  tubes 
or  cells  are  not  continuous  from  top  to  bottom  of  the  tree,  but  are 
comparatively  short  and  taper  out  to  points  so  that  they  are 
thickest  in  the  middle.  Most  of  the  common  woods  have  the  walls 
of  these  tubes  so  thin  that  liquid  is  readily  absorbed  by  them  and 
carried  into  the  substance  for  some  distance.  Different  kinds  of 
wood  differ  much  in  the  shape  and  arrangement  of  these  cells. 
In  filling  the  pores  the  first  step  is  taken  in  providing  an  abso- 


THE    HARDWOOD   FINISHER.  17 

lutely  smooth  surface.  We  trust  mainly  to  mechanical  force  in 
rubbing  in,  aided  by  the  absorptive  powers  of  the  wood.  Formerly 
successive  varnishings  and  rubbings  and  scrapings  took  much  time 
and  when  they  were  done,  the  final  finish  had  still  to  be  applied, 
but  the  whole  process  has  now  been  simplified,  by  using  fillers. 

The  careful  workman  will  not  leave  "great  daubs"  of  super- 
fluous filler  here  and  there  on  the  work,  but  will  see  that  all  cor- 
ners and  heads  and  quirks  of  mouldings  are  well  cleaned  off  be- 
fore it  gets  too  hard  to  remove  easily,  and  should  there  be  any 
nail  holes — which  there  ought  not  to  be — he  will  have  them  filled 
with  properly  colored  putty  or  cement  and  nicely  smoothed 
down  before  he  makes  any  attempt  to  put  on  his  finishing  coats. 

Among  the  many  homemade  fillers  I  have  endeavored  to  select 
the  best. 

Walnut  Filler, — For  Medium  and  Cheap  Work. — xolbs. bolted 
English  whiting,  3  Ibs.  dry  burnt  umber,  4lbs.  Vandyke  brown,  3 
Ibs.  calcined  plaster,  ^  Ib.  Venetian  red,  i  gal.  boiled  linseed  oil, 
y<z  gal.  spirits  turpentine,  i  quart  black  japan.  Mix  well  and  ap- 
ply with  brush ;  rub  well  with  excelsior  or  tow,  clean  off  with 
rags. 

Walnut  Filler! — For  Imitation  Wax-Finish. — 5  Ibs.  bolted  whit- 
ing, i  Ib.  calcined  plaster,  6  oz.  calcined  magnesia,  i  oz.  dry 
burnt  umber,  i  oz.  French  yellow,  i  quart  raw  linseed  oil,  i 
quart  benzine  spirits,  ^  pint  very  thin  white  shellac.  Mix  well 
and  apply  with  a  brush.  Rub  well  in  and  clean  off  with  rags. 
Before  using  the  above  filling  give  the  work  one  coat  of  white 
shellac.  When  dry,  sand-paper  down  and  apply  the  filler. 

Walnut  Fillert — For  First-Class  Work. — 3  Ibs.  burnt  umber, 
ground  in  oil,  i  Ib.  burnt  sienna,  ground  in  oil,  i  quart  spirits  of 
turpentine,  i  pint  brown  japan.  Mix  well  and  apply  with  a 
brush;  sand-paper  well;  clean  off  with  tow  and  rags.  This  gives 
a  beautiful  chocolate  color  to  the  wood. 

Filler  for  Light  Woods,— 5  Ibs.  bolted  English  whiting,  3  Ibs. 
calcined  plaster,  i  Ib.  corn  starch,  3  oz.  calcined  magnesia,  }/? 
gallon  raw  linseed  oil,  i  quart  spirits  of  turpentine,  i  quart  brown 
2 


18  THE   HARDWOOD   FLSISHER. 

japan,  and  sufficient  French  yellow  to  tinge  the  white.  Mix  well 
and  apply  with  a  brush,  rub  in  with  excelsior  or  tow,  and  clean 
off  with  rags. 

Filler  for  Cherr  , — 5  Iks.  bolted  English  whiting,  2  Ibs.  cal- 
cined plaster,  i^  oz.  dry  burnt  sienna,  i  oz.  Venetian  red,  i 
quart  boiled  linseed  oil,  i  pint  spirits  of  turpentine,  i  pint  brown 
japan.  Mix  well,  rub  in  with  excelsior  or  tow  and  clean  off 
with  rags. 

Filler  for  Oaki — 5  Ibs.  bolted  English  whiting,  2  Ibs.  calcined 
plaster,  i  oz.  dry  burnt  sienna,  y2  oz.  dry  French  yellow,  i  quart 
raw  linseed  oil,  i  pint  benzine  spirits,  yz  pint  white  shellac. 
Mix  well,  apply  with  brush,  rub  in  with  excelsior  or  tow,  and 
clean  off  with  rags. 

Filler  for  Rosewood • — 6  Ibs.  bolted  English  whiting,  2  Ibs.  cal- 
cined plaster,  i  Ib.  rose  pink,  2  oz.  Venetian  red,  ^  Ib.  Vandyke 
brown,  ^  Ib.  brandon  red,  i  gallon  boiled  linseed  oil,  y2  gallon 
spirits  of  turpentine,  i  quart  black  japan.  Mix  well,  apply  with 
brush,  rub  in  with  excelsior  or  tow,  and  clean  off  with  rags. 

Another! — Stir  boiled  oil  and  corn-starch  into  a  very  thick 
paste  ;  add  a  little  japan,  and  reduce  with  turpentine,  but  add 
no  color  for  light  ash.  For  dark  ash  and  chestnut  use  a  little  raw 
sienna  ;  for  walnut,  burnt  umber,  add  a  small  quantity  of  Vene- 
tian red  ;  for  bay  wood,  burnt  sienna.  In  no  case  use  more 
color  than  is  required  to  overcome  the  white  appearance  of  the 
starch,  unless  it  is  wished  to  stain  the  wood.  The  filler  is  worked 
with  brush  and  rags  in  the  usual  manner.  Let  it  dry  forty-eight 
hours,  or  until  it  is  in  condition  to  rub  down  with  No.  o  sand- 
paper without  much  gumming  up,  and  if  an  extra  fine  finish  is 
desired,  fill  again  with  the  same  materials,  using  less  oil,  but  more 
of  japan  and  turpentine. 

Anotheri — Take  three  papers  corn-starch,  one  quart  boiled 
linseed  oil,  two  quarts  turpentine,  one-quarter  pint  japan ;  cut  in 
half  the  turpentine  before  mixing ;  it  will  not  cut  perfectly  other- 
wise. For  dark  woods  add  burnt  umber  to  color.  When  nearly 
dry  rub  off  with  cloths.  The  above  mixture  must  be  used  fresh, 


THE   HARDWOOD   FINISHER.  19 

as  it  is  of  no  value  after  it  is  four  or  five  days  old.  The  cloths 
used  in  rubbing  as  above  mentioned  should  be  destroyed  imme- 
diately after  use,  as  spontaneous  combustion  is  likely  to  ensue 
from  the  ingredients  employed. 

Preparation  of  Wood  for  Staining,— Asa  filler  of  wood  to  be 

stained,  apply  French  plaster  of  Paris,  mixed  as  a  creamy  paste 
with  water,  and  after  rubbing  in,  clean  any  surplus  off;  or  use 
whiting  finely  powdered,  or  white  lead  slacked  with  painters'  dry- 
ing oil,  and  used  as  a  filler.  Another  process  is  that  of  oiling^ 
then  rubbing  crosswise  to  the  grain  with  a  sponge  dipped  in  thin 
polish  composed  of  melted  beeswax,  resin,  and  shellac,  and 
smoothing  the  surface,  when  dry,  with  pumice-stone,  or  fine  glass 
paper.  Embody  the  work  a  second  time  with  thicker  polish,  cr 
a  mixture  of  polish  and  varnish.  The  rubbers  will  work  easily 
with  half  the  quantity  of  oil  which  is  ordinarily  used.  This 
second  body  should  be  rubbed  very  smooth  with  moist  putty. 

In  the  use  of  any  filler,  care  must  be  taken  in  the  selection  of 
color,  for  the  employment  of  a  light  colored  filler  on  dark  wood 
or  vice  versa  would  result  in  gross  defacement,  as  the  lighter 
color  would  show  at  the  pores  of  the  wood  in  the  one  case,  and 
the  darker  in  the  other.  Therefore,  to  avoid  this  the  filler  should 
be  as  near  as  possible  the  color  of  the  wood  to  be  filled*. 

As  a  general  thing,  paint  manufacturers  who  do  not  make  fillers 
a  specialty  use  opaque  colors  to  stain  their  filler,  as  it  requires  a 
less  quantity.  This  will  do  sometimes,  but  not  always.  But 
those  which  give  to  the  wood  a  clear  and  bright  appearance,  and 
therefore  produce  the  best  results,  are  stained  with  transparent 
colors :  those  chiefly  employed  are  burnt  umber  and  sienna, 
Venetian  red,  Vandyke  brown  and  charcoal  black,  the  charcoal 
being  ground  fine  in  oil,  while  the  others  can  be  used  dry  and 
according  to  the  following  recipes  with  good  results  : 

In  mixing  any  or  all  dark  fillers  the  same  pigments  used  for  the 
light  (previously  described)  should  be  kept  for  a  basis,  with  suffi- 
cient coloring  to  stain  it  to  the  desired  depth  of  shade. 

Filler  for  Walnut  is  very  often  stained  with  burnt  umber ;  this 


20  THE  HARDWOOD   FINISHER. 

is  reddish  in  hue  and  gives  to  the  wood  a  pleasing  effect.  Others 
use  Venetian  red  darkened  somewhat  with  lamp  black ;  this  is 
rather  opaque,  and  tends  to  deaden  the  color  of  the  wood.  There 
is  another  article — namely,  Vandyke  brown — which  gives  fair  re- 
sults. In  order  to  obtain  a  rich  effect,  the  filler  should  be  made 
considerably  darker  than  the  wood  when  new. 

Fillers  for  mahogany,  cherry,  California  redwood,  and  other 
woods  of  similar  shade,  should  be  stained  with  burnt  sienna,  as 
they  should  be  finished  very  clear.  It  is  well  to  know  that  char- 
coal black,  and  Venetian  red  will  give  the  desired  shade  for  any 
dark-colored  wood  in  common  use  or  for  all  colors  in  antique,  but 
it  does  not  show  up  quite  as  clear  as  some  other  combinations. 

For  rosewood,  charcoal  as  a  stain  will  suffice,  and  for  vanilla 
or  Brazil-wood  the  use  of  rose-pink  will  give  good  results. 

The  methods  of  mixing  these  fillers  are  quite  numerous.  It  is 
impossible  to  give  the  proportions  definitely,  owing  to  the 
strength  of  the  colors  or  the  transparency  of  the  chief  ingredient, 
but  one  cannot  go  astray  by  following  the  preceding  rules. 

Mix  the  light  pigment  to  a  paste  with  boiled  oil,  which  must 
be  well  stirred  up.  Then  in  another  pot  mix  a  quantity  of  the 
colored  pigment  with  turpentine  or  naphtha ;  and  when  thor- 
oughly "cut,"  or  dissolved,  add  sufficient  of  it  to  the  light  to 
give  the  shade  required.  After  this  is  obtained,  dilute  with  tur- 
pentine or  naphtha  and  japan,  as  directed  in  mixing  light  filler. 
This  applies  to  all  colors  except  black,  which  is  seldom  obtained 
finely  ground  unless  in  oil,  and  properly  thinned  down. 

There  are  many  finishers  and  firms  who  exclusively  use  manu- 
factured fillers,  and  in  consequence  meet  with  many  difficulties 
as  to  the  shade  they  require,  as  different  manufacturers  use  differ- 
ent colors  to  stain  their  filler.  But  this  difficulty  can  be  over- 
come by  a  few  experiments  with  the  above-named  stains. 

As  the  foregoing  gives  pretty  nearly  all  the  fillers  in  general  use 
with  the  exception  of  some  of  the  manufactured  mineral  prepara- 
tions of  which  I  will  have  more  to  say  further  on,  I  will  now  pro- 
ceed to  describe  the  method  of  application,  and  for  the  greater 


THE   HARDWOOD   FINISHER.  21 

portion  of  this  description,  and  other  matters  in  this  work,  I  am 
indebted  to  Mr.  R.  A.  A.  Bahre's  papers  on  the  subject  contrib- 
uted to  House-Painting  and  Decorating,  a  monthly  magazine 
published  in  the  city  of  New  York. 

The  secret  of  this  is  to  do  the  work  well,  quickly  and  econom- 
ically. These  points  are  dealt  with  in  the  following: 

Have  your  filler  mixed  to  the  consistency  of  ordinary  lead 
paint ;  then  apply  to  the  prepared  surface  of  the  wood  with  a 
pound  brush,  or,  what  is  still  better,  a  3-0  or  4-0  oval  chisel  var- 
nish brush.  In  applying  the  filler  it  is  not  necessary  to  cover  all 
the  small  beads  and  carvings ;  and  if  the  filler  be  light  better 
avoid  coating  them  at  all,  and  if  dark  or  antique  stain  them  with 
a  little  of  the  filler,  much  reduced  with  spirits  of  turpentine. 
For  this  purpose  have  at  hand  a  small  pot  with  a  small  fitch  or 
sash  tool. 

By  not  filling  the  beads  and  carvings,  the  varnish  is  not  so 
liable  to  run  down  in  them,  although  sufficient  remains  to  produce 
a  finish  equal  to  the  balance  of  the  surface. 

After  enough  surface  has  been  covered  with  the  filler,  so  that 
what  has  been  first  applied  begins  to  flatten,  the  process  of  wip- 
ing should  immediately  begin,  using  for  that  purpose  either  a  rag 
or  a  handful  of  waste  or  Excelsior.  If  the  wood  is  very  open 
grained,  waste  is  preferable.  With  a  piece  of  this  that  has  pre- 
viously been  used  and  is  pretty  well  supplied  with  filler,  rub  cross- 
wise  of  the  grain,  rather  rubbing  it  into  the  grain  than  wiping  it 
off.  After  the  whole  surface  has  been  gone  over  in  this  way, 
take  a  clean  piece  of  waste  or  rag  (never  use  Excelsior  for  wiping 
clean)  and  wipe  the  surface  perfectly  clean  and  free  from  filler, 
using  a  wooden  pick  the  point  of  which  has  been  covered  with  a 
rag  or  waste  to  clean  out  the  corners,  beads,  etc.  It  is  well  to 
give  these  picks  some  attention,  as  a  person  once  accustomed  to 
certain  tools  can  accomplish  more  and  better  work  than  with 
tools  that  feel  strange  in  his  hands ;  therefore,  each  finisher 
should  furnish  his  own  pick.  As  to  their  construction,  these  are 
best  made  from  second-growth  hickory,  which  can  be  procured 


22  THE    HARDWOOD    FINISHEK. 

at  any  carriage  repair  shop,  such  as  old  spokes,  broken  felloes, 
etc.  They  are  made  eight  inches  in  length,  half  inch  oval  at  one 
end  and  tapering  down  to  the  point  at  the  other.  Sharpen  the 
oval  end  like  a  cold  chisel,  then  smooth  with  sandpaper,  which 
should  also  be  used  to  sharpen  the  tool  when  the  same  becomes 
worn  dull. 

This  picking  out  of  the  filler  from  beads,  etc.,  can  be  acceler- 
ated by  the  use  of  a  picking  brush  manufactured  especially  for 
that  purpose,  but  it  is  not  advisable  to  use  this  on  very  coarsely 
grained  wood,  as  it  scrubs  the  filler  out  of  the  pores. 

There  are  several  fillers  used  which  do  not  require  this  picking 
and  scrubing.  One  is  a  liquid  filler  used  chiefly  for  carriage  fin- 
ishing ;  but  it  can  be  used  successfully  on  butternut,  bird's-eye 
maple,  curly  maple,  satinwood,  hickory,  etc.  It  is  made  from 
gum  and  oil.  Another  is  a  filler  made  from  finely-ground  pumice 
stone,  mixed  as  other  fillers.  It  is  applied  with  a  brush,  and 
must  be  left  to  dry  at  least  twenty-four  hours ;  it  is  then  sand- 
papered smooth,  when  an  oil  varnish  is  applied,  rendering  it  com- 
pletely transparent.  This  last  can  be  used  only  upon  light 
wood. 

The  workman,  as  a  matter  of  course,  will  understand  that  dif- 
ferent woods,  require  slightly  different  treatment,  and  the  finer- 
grained  woods,  among  which  are  the  pines,  maples,  cedars  and 
poplars,  of  different  varieties,  and  birch,  cherry,  beech,  syca- 
more, white  box,  satinwood,  etc.,  require  no  filling,  not  that  a 
filling  would  prove  detrimental  to  the  finish — except  upon  stained 
work  or  white  holly,  which  in  order  to  maintain  a  clear  color 
should  never  be  filled — but,  from  the  condition  of  all  fine  wood, 
it  is  superfluous,  and  only  causes  unnecessary  labor  and  expense. 
At  this  point  it  will  be  convenient  to  pause  to  consider  the  sub- 
ject of  mineral  or  prepared  wood-fillers. 

I  think  I  have  prepared  the  mind  of  the  reader  to  receive  the 
fact,  that  of  all  the  several  manufactured  preparations  in  the 
market  I  think  that  Wheeler's  patent  filler  made  by  the  Bridgeport 
Wood-Finishing  Company,  is  decidedly  the  best  and  the  most 


THE   HARDWOOD    FINISHER.  23 

economical  to  use,  for  many  reasons,  the  chief  one  being  its  cer- 
tainty of  action.  A  great  deal  of  time  and  money  have  been 
wasted  in  attempting  to  make  good  fillers,  to  no  purpose,  and  a 
great  variety,  as  I  have  shown — of  substances  as  chalk,  plaster  of 
Paris,  corn  starch,  etc.,  etc.,  have  been  mixed  with  various  vehicles 
and  rubbed  into  the  wood  with  but  indifferent  success.  Most  of 
these  compounds  labor  under  the  disadvantages  of  forming  chem- 
ical compounds  with  the  oil  and  consequently  they  shrink  very 
much  on  drying,  so  that  though  the  surface  may  appear  smooth 
when  they  are  first  put  on,  waves  and  hollows  make  their  appear- 
ance as  they  dry.  These  waves  having  round  edges,  are  difficult 
to  fill,  the  second  coat  building  up  as  much  or  more  upon  the 
level  spaces  as  in  the  hollows.  It  sometimes  seems  almost  im- 
possible with  these  fillers  in  the  latter  coats  to  make  the  hollows 
hold  any  substance,  the  filler  clinging  chiefly  to  the  surfaces. 

I  have  thought  it  necessary  to  show  how  the  ordinary  or  home- 
made fillers  act,  and  fail  in  order  to  show  by  contrast  how  much 
easier  it  is  to  work  efficiently  with  the  mineral  fillers.  The  min- 
eral quartz,  when  mixed  with  oil,  probably  shrinks  less  in  drying 
than  any  other  similar  known  mixture.  If  a  surface  of  wood  be 
covered  with  this  and  then  rubbed,  the  sharp  and  angular  parti- 
cles of  the  silica  imbed  themselves  in  the  pores  of  the  wood,  clos- 
ing them  up,  while  the  oil  cements  them  fast.  This  is  the  foun- 
dation of  Wheeler's  wood  filler,  and  which  we  recommend  for 
use  by  all  wood  finishers.  When  the  pores  have  been  filled 
with  the  silica,  and  are  cemented  fast  by  the  proper  mixture  of 
gums  and  oils,  the  difficult  part  of  the  work  is  done. 

After  a  good  surface  has  been  made  upon  the  article  it  is  ready 
for  the  filler,  which  is  to  be  selected  according  to  the  color  de- 
sired. In  putting  the  filler  on  it  is  thinned  with  turpentine  until 
about  like  flowing  varnish,  and  is  applied  with  a  brush.  Only  so 
much  of  the  surface  is  covered  as  can  be  cleaned  off  before  it 
hardens.  When  it  has  set  so  that  the  gloss  has  left  the  surface,  it 
is  at  once  rubbed  off  with  "  excelsior  "  or  shavings,  going  across 


24  THE    HA11DWOOD   FINISHER. 

the  grain  with  the  strokes.     If  the  filler  dries  too  fast  or  too  light 
-a  little  raw  linseed  oil  may  be  used  in  it. 

For  a  nicer  job  the  filler  is  rubbed  in  with  a  rubber,  made  by 
gluing  a  piece  of  sole  or  belt  leather  on  the  face  of  a  block  of 
wood  and  trimming  the  edges  flush  with  the  block.  The  rubbing 
is  done  after  the  filler  has  set  and  before  it  is  cleaned  off.  If  it 
dries  off  too  light,  a  little  white  japan  may  be  added  on  nice 
work.  The  light-colored  filler  should  be  used  on  all  work  where 
light  and  dark  woods  are  used  together.  The  filling,  it  must  be 
understood,  is  done  by  the  silica,  which  will  often  be  found  in 
the  shape  of  a  sediment  in  the  bottom  of  the  mixture.  Eight 
hours  is  generally  considered  a  sufficient  time  for  the  filler  to 
dry. 

When  the  work  with  the  filler  is  done  the  surface  of  the  wood 
ought  to  be  like  so  much  ground  glass.  Such  portions  of  the 
wood  as  show  a  solid  grain  need  very  little  filler.  On  Georgia 
pine,  after  the  filler  is  dry,  a  little  rubbing  in  the  direction  of  the 
grain  with  very  fine  sand-paper  is  an  advantage.  If  the  filler  has 
been  properly  used  the  desired  results  will  be  obtained  with  little 
labor. 

The  wood  is  now  in  a  condition  to  receive  the  final  coat- 
ings. Whether  the  work  is  to  be  polished  or  "  dead  finished," 
do  not  employ  shellac  or  "  French  polish."  If  a  "  dead  "  sur- 
face is  wanted,  wax  finish  is  easily  put  on,  and  as  easily  rubbed  to 
a  good  surface.  F.  W.  Devoe  &  Co.  prepare  a  wax  finish, 
which  is  a  convenient  preparation  of  wax  and  gums,  and  can  be 
applied  with  a  brush  and  then  rubbed  down  with  a  woolen  cloth, 
tied  up  to  make  a  hard  rubber,  until  a  fine  lusterless  surface  is  ob- 
tained. With  mahogany  and  similiar  woods  this  greatly  im- 
proves the  color  of  the  wood.  When  this  has  dried,  which  will  be 
in  the  course  of  a  few  hours,  the  work  is  ready  for  use.  The  wax 
finish,  like  many  of  the  furniture  creams,  has  the  advantage  that  it 
can  be  put  on  in  a  few  minutes  at  any  time  to  brighten  up  work  when 
it  has  become  dull.  A  piece  of  work  prepared  in  this  way,  after 


THE   HARDWOOD    FINISHER.  20 

four  operations,  will  present  as  fine  an  appearance  as   the  best 
cabinet  work  found  in  the  furniture  stores. 

The  materials  which  have  been  described,  it  will  be  noticed, 
are  both  manufactured  articles.  The  prepared  filler  is  indispens- 
able ;  the  wax  finish  can  be  made  by  the  mixing  together,  by  the 
aid  of  heat,  white  wax  and  spirits  of  turpentine  until  they  are  of 
the  consistency  of  thick  paste.  Another  wax  finish  is  made  of 
beeswax,  spirits  of  turpentine  and  linseed  oil  in  equal  parts  The 
addition  of  two  drams  of  Alkanet  root  to  every  twenty  ounces  of 
turpentine  darkens  and  enriches  the  color.  The  root  is  to  be  put 
into  a  little  bag  and  allowed  to  stand  in  the  turpentine  until  it  is 
sufficiently  colored. 

An  altogether  more  durable  surface  can  be  made  by  a  little 
change  in  the  treatment.  When  the  wood  is  filled  instead  of  apply- 
ing the  wax,  take  some  hard  oil  finish,  a  preparation  manufactured 
by  Messrs.  Berry  Bros.,  of  Detroit,  Mich.,  and  put  it  on  with  a  brush 
precisely  like  varnish.  The  coat  should  not  be  too  heavy,  espe- 
cially on  vertical  surfaces,  and  the  brush  used  ought  to  be  a  good  one. 
This  material  gives  a  most  brilliant  polish.  By  rubbing  it  down 
with  a  woolen  cloth  and  pumice  stone  powder  it  can  also  be  made 
dull.  Hard-oil  finish  does  not  spot  with  hot  or  cold  water,  is 
slightly  elastic  and  is  not  injured  by  pretty  severe  soaking  in  water. 
It  gets  hard  in  twelve  hours  or  less  in  warm  weather  and  over 
night  in  winter  time.  It  is  one  of  the  best  surfaces  which  can  be 
used,  and  has  the  advantage  of  working  very  well  in  the  hands  of 
one  who  is  not  an  expert  in  the  art  of  finishing  wood  or  hand- 
ling varnish.  It  will  make  a  very  fair  surface  applied  direct  to 
the  unfilled  wood,  in  which  case  it  is  a  good  substitute  for  shellac. 

Wax  finish  has  the  -advantage  that  scratches  can  be  easily  re- 
paired without  sending  to  the  cabinet  maker  or  the  painter. 
Here  a  word  of  advice  to  the  carpenter  who  does  any  work  of  this 
character  may  save  him  some  trouble  and  make  way  for  the  fur- 
ther use  of  the  same  kind  of  finish.  When  the  woodwork  of  a 
house  is  treated  in  this  way,  be  sure  and  leave  a  little  bottle  of  the 
wax  polish  with  the  housekeeper,  with  directions  as  to  the  method 


26  THE   HARDWOOD   FINISHER. 

of  using  it.  In  sending  out  a  "what-not,"  book-case,  or  any 
other  article  of  similar  kind,  put  up  a  little  bottle  of  the  polish 
and  show  the  owner,  or,  preferably  the  lady  of  the  house,  how  to 
repair  any  little  scratch  and  make  the  work  look  "  as  good  as  new." 
The  fresh  appearance  of  the  work  will  be  a  good  advertisement, 
while  it  will  prevent  complaints  and  dissatisfaction  that  often 
follow  the  use  of  work  which,  when  injured,  cannot  be  restored. 

It  may  be  said  that  either  of  the  methods  of  finishing  involves  a 
great  deal  of  labor.  This  is  true  ;  but  the  amount  is  not  much 
greater  than  is  needed  for  three  coats  of  paint,  and  the  cost  of 
the  paint  would  probably  be  more  than  the  cost  of  the  finish. 
The  labor  in  one  case  can  be  of  a  cheap -character,  and  in  the 
other  an  experienced  painter  must  be  employed.  The  profit  upon 
the  "  dead  finish  "  can  go  into  the  pocket  of  the  carpenter,  while 
that  of  the  painting  must  in  any  event  be  divided  between  the 
carpenter  and  painter,  or  belong  to  the  latter  altogether  who  is, 
after  all  the  proper  person  to  do  the  work. 

I  have  now  said  about  all  that  is  necessary  in  the  matter  of 
"  fillers  "  and  "filling,"  but,  as  sometimes  happens,  the  old 
system  of  "sizing,"  has  to  be  resorted  to  for  certain  kinds  of 
work,  I  give  herewith  a  formula  for  its  construction  and  use  : 

Size  of  different  kinds  is  sometimes  applied  to  the  surface  of 
wood  to  prevent  absorption  of  the  varnish.  The  kind  of  material 
used  for  the  size  is  not  important,  the  object  being  only  to  prevent 
absorption  by  a  very  thin  coat  of  some  substance  not  soluble  in  the 
varnish.  For  dark-colored  wood,  thin  size,  made  by  reducing 
ordinary  glue  with  water,  is  generally  used  ;  but  for  lighter- 
colored  surfaces  a  white  size  is  used,  which  is  prepared  by  boil- 
ing white  kid  or  other  leather  or  parchment-cuttings,  in  water 
for  a  few  hours,  or  until  it  forms  a  thin  jelly  like  substance, 
which  is  reduced  with  water  to  a  thin  consistency,  and  used  in  a 
tepid  state.  Sometimes  solutions  of  isinglass,  or  tragacanth  are 
employed  in  like  manner.  Unlike  the  best  fillers,  sizes  of  any 
kind  do  not  improve  the  finish,  and  are  sometimes  a  positive 
detriment  to  it.  They  are  used  solely  as  an  economy  to  reduce 


THE   HARDWOOD   FINISHER.  27 

the  quantity  of  the  varnish  needed  ;  and  their  use  is  not  recom- 
mended for  the  best  work. 

STAINING,  FINISHING,  VARNISHING  AND  POLISHING. 

The  following  will  apply  to  nearly  all  stained  work  with  the  ex- 
ception that  the  coloring  materials  must  be  chosen  to  suit  the 
results  desired  ;  directions  for  mixing  and  preparing  will  be 
found  under  the  head  of  woods. 

Staining,  or  dyeing,  though  not  very  modern,  has  grown  in 
popularity  of  late.  This  is  due  not  so  much  to  the  natural 
imitation  of  valuable  wood  as  to  the  beautiful  colors  in 
which  it  may  be  produced — for  example,  the  deep  red, 
generally  represented  as  mahogany,  which  forms  a  handsome  and 
lively  contrast  with  nearly  any  color  or  style  of  finishing.  In 
house  interiors,  however,  it  has  not  been  so  extensively  used  as 
it  has  on  furniture,  owing  to  the  preference  for  the  light  wood 
for  house  finishing.  But,  despite  its  handsome  color,  at  the 
present  time  it  is  obliged  to  yield  to  the  more  artistic  and  substan- 
tial old  oak,  which,  it  is  generally  anticipated,  will  continue  in 
vogue  a  greater  length  of  time  than  did  the  stained  work.  An  ob- 
jection to  stained  work  is  that  after  it  has  been  in  service  a  com- 
paratively short  time  the  finish  and  stain  wear  off  from  those  por- 
tions most  exposed  to  severe  usage.  The  appearance  is  thereby 
destroyed,  and  it  cannot  be  restored  by  refinishing.  Another 
objection  to  stains  is  that  they  fade,  a  fault  to  which  all  these 
bright  colors  are  subject. 

Whether  this  style  of  work  is  la,  mode  or  not,  it  will  always 
remain  in  greater  or  less  demand.  A  few  details  of  staining  will, 
therefore,  be  due.  Now,  if  the  object  of  staining  is  to  imitate 
natural  wood,  it  would  be  found  desirable  to  procure  specimens 
of  the  woods  to  be  imitated.  Excellent  and  most  convenient 
specimens  can  be  obtained  at  any  scroll-saw  supply  house  at  a 
trifling  expense.  Commence  by  oiling  and  varnishing  the  speci- 
men to  bring  out  the  color,  or  apply  a  darkener  if  an  antique 


28  THE    HARDWOOD    FINISHER. 

color  is  required.  As  a  darkener  for  cherry,  apply  with  a  brush 
aqua-ammonia  diluted  with  water  according  to  the  depth  of 
color  required.  This  is  probably  the  best  mixture  for  all  red 
woods,  as  it  develops  the  colors  to  their  utmost  intensity.  Lime- 
water  and  lye  (potash  solution)  are  also  frequently  used,  although 
lye  should  be  used  cautiously ;  for  if  applied  too  strong,  it 
destroys  the  red  color  after  developing  it.  Iron  fillings  or 
shavings  boiled  in  vinegar  produce  a  darkener  for  oak,  and  are 
frequently  employed  in  producing  the  "darks"  or  shades  in 
sixteenth  century  finish. 

After  darkening  with  a  water  solution  the  specimens  should  not 
be  oiled,  but  after  having  thoroughly  dried  should  receive  a 
coat  of  shellac,  and,  when  dry,  a  coat  of  varnish.  Having  the 
colors  well  brought  out,  they  will  be  found  of  great  utility  in  pre- 
paring a  stain  of  accurate  shade.  Now,  the  secret  in  preparing  a 
good  stain  is  that  it  should  be  perfectly  transparent,  which  may 
be  produced  in  either  oil  or  water  colors.  The  latter,  however, 
with  a  few  exceptions,  will  be  found  to  give  the  best  results,  for 
several  reasons.  In  the  first  place,  it  penetrates  deeper  into  the 
wood,  thus  producing  a  more  substantial  finish.  Next,  the  wood 
employed  is  generally  hard  and  fine,  and  by  an  application  of 
water  stain  the  grain  is  raised,  whereby  the  "lights  "  or  veins 
are  more  prominently  brought  out,  imparting  to  the  finish  a  more 
vivid  appearance,  which  cannot  be  so  effectually  produced  in 
oil  colors.  Still  another  advantage  in  water  stain  is  the  saving  of 
time  in  its  application;  for  when  properly  prepared,  it  can  be  used 
for  dipping,  which  is  the  method  practised  in  our  cabinet  shops 
for  staining  much  furniture.  It  can  also  be  applied  with 
a  brush,  although  good  results  by  this  method  are  accomplished 
only  when  skill  and  practice  are  exercised.  In  applying  it  a  four 
or-five-inch  flat  bristle  brush  would  be  found  the  right  size,  ena- 
bling the  operator  to  cover  over  any  one  part  or  section  before  the 
stain  penetrates  the  wood.  It  will  be  found  less  difficult  to  apply 
oil  stain  uniformly  with  a  brush,  and  it  is,  therefore,  generally  em- 
ployed in  staining  soft-wood  and  especially  the  different  species 


THE    HARDWOOD    FINISHER.  29 

of  pine,  all  of  which  absorb  water  stain  in  spots,  giving  it  a 
daubed  appearance. 

The  first  thing  to  be  considered  is  the  receptacle  or  vessel  in 
which  the  water  or  acid  stains  are  to  be  prepared.  This  should 
be  formed  of  a  material  which  is  unaffected  by  the  corrosive  ac- 
tion of  acid.  Porcelain-lined  iron  or  glazed  earthenware  in  the 
way  of  kettles  or  common  stew  crockery  are  commonly  used.  As 
the  latter  are  often  cracked  by  the  heat  required  in  boiling,  it  is 
safer  and  cheaper  in  the  end  to  use  porcelain-lined  kettles. 

I  need  not  say  that  care  and  cleanliness  are  two  very  necessary 
qualities  in  the  preparation  and  application  of  stains,  for  a  good 
workman  is  always  a  careful  and  a  clean  workman. 

In  finishing  "rubbing"  may  be  considered  one  of  the  most  es- 
sential qualities,  since  it  gives  to  the  varnish  when  laid  upon  the 
wood  a  degree  of  smoothness  not  otherwise  attainable  ;  for  by  the 
use  of  the  brush  alone  minute  furrows  and  ridges  are  left  upon  the 
plastic  surface  of  the  varnish,  and  although  good  varnish  posses- 
ses in  itself  a  high  gloss,  the  gloss  is  not  nearly  so  agreeable  to 
the  eye  as  the  brilliant  polish  of  which  rubbing  is  the  prelimin- 
ary. The  reduction  of  these  ridges  and  furrows  is  accomplished 
by  means  of  finely-powdered  pumice-stone  moistened  with  raw 
linseed  oil,  applied  with  a  piece  of  haircloth  or  other  coarse  and 
fibrous  material.  For  rubbing  large  flat  surfaces  the  haircloth  is 
sometimes  folded  over  a  block  of  convenient  size,  but  this  is  not 
practicable  for  articles  of  small  size  or  irregular  shape.  In  rub- 
bing, considerable  force  must  be  used,  but  the  stroke  must  be 
steady,  and  as  long  as  possible,  and  great  care  should  be  taken  to 
rub  the  surface  uniformly,  as  in  case  it  is  rubbed  unevenly  the 
varnish  is  liable  to  be  worn  away  quite  to  the  wood  in  some 
places,  and  the  perfect  smoothness  that  is  the  beauty  of  a  good 
finish  will  thus  be  impossible.  The  edges  especially  are  liable  to 
be  rubbed  bare,  and  should  be  carefully  treated.  The  crevices 
and  hollows  of  carvings  are  rubbed  by  means  of  hard-pointed 
sticks  of  various  convenient  sizes.  The  rubbing  should  be  con- 
tinued until  the  entire  surface  appears  perfectly  smooth  and  free 


30  THE   HAKDWOOD   FINISHER. 

from  marks  of  any  kind.  The  surplus  pumice-stone  and  oil 
should  all  be  carefully  removed  from  the  surface  by  means  of 
rags,  and  the  work  may  then  be  cleaned  up  with  a  little  sweet  oil 
well  .rubbed  in,  and  retouched  with  a  cloth  slightly  dampened  in 
alcohol,  which  serves  to  remove  any  remaining  oil  from  the  sur- 
face. If  the  article  has  veneered  panels  they  are  now  ready  for 
the  final  processes  of  "polishing,"  or  "  flowing,"  processes, 
whatever  the  kind  of  "  finishing,"  the  workman  should  make  it  a 
point  where  possible,  to  have  a  suitable  temperature.  No  good 
finishing  can  be  done  under  60°,  and  it  is  hard  to  get  the  tem- 
perature too  high  for  this  work.  The  wood  should  be  warm  and 
perfectly  dry,  and  visitors,,  flies,  dirt,  dust  and  dampness  should 
rigorously  be  excluded  from  the  room  while  the  work  is  in  prog- 
ress. 

The  word  "shellacking"  has  become  of  late  very  common 
with  finishers  and  is  often  applied  to  first  coating  or  "sizing," 
whether  shellac  be  used  or  not.  This,  doubtless,  arises  from  the 
fact  of  the  general  employment  of  shellac  for  first  coating  and  up 
to  the  present  time  has  proved  the  most  suitable  medium  discov- 
ered for  the  purpose.  1  again  quote  from  R.  A.  Bahre's  papers 
on  this  subject. 

Before  proceeding  with  the  application  of  shellac,  it  will  be 
necessary  to  investigate  the  condition  of  the  surface  of  the  wood, 
taking  care  that  no  successive  application  is  made  before  the  pre- 
ceding one  is  perfectly  dry. 

The  dry  condition  of  water-stained  work  may  easily  be  deter- 
mined by  the  uniformily  dead  appearance  it  presents,  especially 
in  the  corners  and  angles.  A  surface  treated  with  oil  stain,  when 
dry,  will  impart  no  color  to  the  finger  if  brought  in  contact,  and 
is  effected  in  twelve  or  fifteen  hours  according  to  the  amount  of 
japan  used. 

The  condition  of  a  filled  surface  cannot  be  so  readily  observed, 
for  in  wiping  off  the  filler  from  the  surface,  the  moisture  is  like- 
wise wiped  off,  and  the  surface  is  dry  to  the  touch.  But  let  us 
examine  the  pores,  which  have  become  small  receptacles  filled  to 


THE   HAEDWOOD   FINISHER.  31 

the  brim  with  a  fatty  substance.  We  find  that  the  bulk  of  the 
substance  in  these  pores  does  not  dry  so  fast  as  were  it  spread  out 
in  a  thin  layer  upon  an  extended  surface.  When  regard  is  not 
paid  to  this  condition  and  the  surface  is  prematurely  coated,  it 
will  be  but  a  matter  of  a  short  time  before  the  effects  will  become 
manifest  by  the  cracking  of  the  varnish,  caused  by  the  varnish 
becoming  dry  before  the  filler.  We  shall  have  something  more 
to  say  on  this  subject  later. 

The  safest  way  to  ascertain  whether  a  filler  has  become  per- 
fectly dry  is  to  drop,  while  filling,  a  few  drops  upon  a  board  and 
let  them  remain  until  they  become  hard  enough  to  resist  the  pres- 
sure of  the  finger  nail.  The  length  of  time  required  will  depend 
upon  the  amount  of  oil  contained  in  the  filler. 

Upon  acquiring  this  degree  of  hardness  the  filler  in  the  work 
may  be  considered  dry,  and  ready  to  receive  the  first  coating. 
This  coating,  which  should  be  employed  on  all  first-class  work, 
is  an  alcoholic  solution  of  gum  shellac. 

Among  the  advantages  of  this  solution  are,  first,  that  it  dries 
very  rapidly,  thus  preventing  it  penetrating  and  sinking  into  the 
pores.  Besides  levelling  the  surface,  it  forms  a  close  impene- 
trable body  for  receiving  the  varnish.  By  reason  of  this  property 
it  is  also  used  for  sealing  up  the  pores  of  fine  grained  wood  by 
applying  two  coats.  On  account  of  its  best  solvent  (alcohol),  it 
is  indispensable  for  developing,  certain  stains,  especially  the  ani- 
line and  other  water  stains  which  do  not  contain  lye  or  glue. 
Alcohol  does  not  affect  the  stains  nor  the  glue  ;  for  this  reason  an 
alkali  stain  should  first  receive  a  light  coat  of  oil,  while  the  glue 
stains  require  a  strong  glue  size  for  their  development. 

The  second  advantage  of  shellac  solution  is  its  exceedingly 
hard  drying  qualities ;  as  it  dries  in  five  or  six  hours  sufficiently 
hard  to  sandpaper,  and  in  eight  or  ten  hours  becomes  so  hard 
that  the  finger  nail  can  make  no  impression  upon  it,  the  surface 
is  then  ready  for  the  second  coat.  In  addition  to  this,  its  quality 
of  hardness  makes  it  indispensable  for  the  first  coating  of  all 
resinous  woods,  especially  the  pines,  of  which  it  not  only  seals 


32  THE   HARDWOOD   FINISHER. 

up  the  pores  but  prevents  the  exudation  of  the  resin  while  it  sand- 
papers as  fine  as  satin. 

In  preparing  shellac  for  general  use,  dissolve  in  a  gallon  of 
alcohol  (ethylic  alcohol,  spirits  of  wine)  four  pounds  of  the 
orange  or  five  pounds  of  the  white  shellac,  using  the  white  upon 
light  wood  if  a  clean  or  clear  job  is  required,  and  the  orange  if 
the  color  is  immaterial  or  is  required  to  be  darkened,  as  the  cost 
of  the  orange  gum  is  about  forty  per.  cent.  less.  The  clearness  of 
the  orange  gum  depends  much  upon  its  freshness,  and  it  is  there- 
fore undesirable  to  prepare  it  until  it  is  wanted  for  use,  when  the 
dissolving  of  the  gum  can  be  accelerated  by  warming  and  con- 
tinually agitating  the  mixture.  Wood  spirit  (methylic  alcohol) 
also  dissolves  this  gum  and  is  frequently  substituted  for  pure 
alcohol,  its  cost  being  about  one-third;  but  on  account  of  dis- 
agreeable odor  and  deleterious  effect  it  is  rejected  for  first-class 
work. 

The  application  of  shellac  is  to  an  experienced  finisher  the 
most  agreeable  and  least  difficult  part  of  finishing ;  but  to  a  be- 
ginner it  is  often  most  aggravating  and  discouraging,  it  being 
very  difficult  to  prevent  lapping  or  doubling  up.  Especially  is 
this  the  case  when  the  lac  is  darker  than  the  wood,  as,  for  in- 
stance, in  shellacking  pine  shutters  with  orange  shellac,  when  the 
attempt  of  the  beginner  usually  results  in  a  total  botch.  An  ex- 
perienced hand  will  produce  a  clear  and  even  effect  by  proceed- 
ing in  the  following  manner :  Having  in  view  the  fact  that  the 
wood  is  very  soft,  he  will  dilute  his  lac  somewhat  with  the  spirits, 
to  make  it  work  free.  Then,  with  a  double-thick  flat-chiselled 
bristle  brush  about  two  inches  wide  he  will  apply  a  very  free  coat 
to  the  closed  slats,  on  the  bar  side,  including  the  small  ogee  edge 
of  the  frame,  taking  care  to  daub  none  on  the  flat  surface.  Then, 
quickly  turning  to  the  other  side  and  opening  the  slats,  he  will 
finish  and  lay  off  the  sides,  and,  again  closing  the  slats,  proceed 
by  coating  them  upon  the  plain  (non-bar)  sides,  including  the 
other  edge  of  the  frame.  He  will  then  return  to  the  bar  side, 
open,  lay  off  and  finish  ;  then,  running  the  brush  up  and  down 


THE   HARDWOOD    FINISHER.  S3 

the  bar,  complete  that  portion  of  the  work.  It  may  be  laid  down 
as  a  rule  that  one  section  should  be  completed  before  another  is 
started.  When  one  portion  is  coated,  proceed  with  the  frame  by 
coating  the  outside  edges  and  then  the  centre  rail,  cutting  the 
joints  clean.  Then  begin  at  one  end  of  the  style  and  follow 
around  until  the  starting-point  is  reached,  being  always  careful  to 
complete  as  you  go  on. 

It  is  sometimes  required  to  finish  shutters  in  a  hanging  condi- 
tion, but,  on  account  of  the  speed  required  in  applying  the  shel- 
lac, there  is  much  danger  of  spattering  the  walls  or  windows.  If, 
therefore,  they  are  hung  with  loose  joint  butts,  it  will  be  found 
economical  to  remove  them  and  finish  them  in  a  separate  room. 

We  have  thus  far  referred  to  the  shellacking  of  pine  shutters 
with  orange  shellac.  If  one  has  acquired  proficiency  in  this  point, 
all  the  remainder  will  come  very  easy  to  him,  especially  when 
using  white  shellac  (transparent),  which  does  not  show  the  laps 
after  varnishing.  The  whole  secret  of  shellacking  may  be  con- 
densed in  adherence  to  the  following  simple  rules  :  First,  to  keep 
a  wet  edge  to  work  to;  second,  always  to  work  to  a  joint  before 
stopping ;  and  third,  never  to  repeat  with  the  brush  after  becom- 
ing partly  set,  thereby  causing  it  to  "  double  up." 

There  are  several  substitutes  for  shellac,  but  the  operator  should 
remember  they  are  only  "substitutes,"  and  cannot  compare  with 
the  "  real  thing  "  and  only  the  man  who  takes  his  work  at  starva- 
tion prices,  will  use  the  "  subs,"  unless  such  be  specified. 

Oil  shellac,  which  is  used  to  a  great  extent,  is  generally  sup- 
posed to  be' gum  shellac  dissolved  in  a  volatile  oil,  and  in  quality 
virtually  equal  to  alcohol  shellac.  This  supposition  is  wrong 
however,  for  the  gums  employed  are  of  an  inferior  sort,  being 
chiefly  taken  from  our  pines  and  dissolved  in  turpentine  or  naph- 
tha, and  having  a  little  linseed  oil  and  chemical  dryer  thrown  in. 
When  dry  it  is  very  brittle,  easily  spoils  and  will  not  resist  the 
action  of  water  on  the  grain,  and  is  utterly  useless  as  a  substan- 
tial finish.  This  so-called  shellac,  is  applied  in  the  same  manner 
as  varnish. 
3 


34  THE    HARDWOOD   FINISHER. 

Glue  size  proves  most  effectual  in  holding  out  varnish,  and 
while  the  work  is  new,  it  is  not  easily  marred.  In  the  course  of 
two  or  three  years,  however,  the  glue  decays,  when  the  slightest 
bruise  causes  the  varnish,  size  and  all  to  give.  For  developing 
water-stains  containing  alkali  it  is  quite  effective. 

"Hard  oil  finish"  so-called,  is  simply  an  application  of  a 
quick-drying  brittle  varnish,  that  will  polish  with  rubbing ;  for 
inside  work  it  contains  very  little  "oil"  while  that  prepared  for 
outside  purposes,  contains  more  "oil,"  is  more  expensive,  dries 
slower  and  is  more  durable. 

It  matters  but  little  whether  we  employ  shellac  or  a  substitute, 
or  even  varnish  for  first  coating.  It  should  be  allowed  to  dry  and 
then  receive  a  rubbing  to  take  off  all  the  grit  or  roughness  which 
may  have  been  caused  by  a  little  filler  remaining  on  the  surface 
or  dust  settled  upon  it  before  dry.  Whatever  it  may  be,  it  should 
be  smoothed  before  applying  a  coat  of  varnish.  For  this  purpose 
No.  o  sandpaper  will  be  found  the  best  adapted,  but,  as  the  ordi- 
nary sandpaper  is  very  heavy,  and  therefore  stiff,  we  are  liable  to 
cut  through  the  edge  in  using  it.  Neither  does  it  conform  easily 
to  mouldings  and  corners.  It  is  therefore  advisable  to  employ  the 
thin  paper  especially  prepared  for  the  purpose  ;  but  if  it  cannot 
be  obtained,  the  heavy  should  be  split — that  is,  by  detaching  ore 
or  two  layers  of  the  back  paper.  This  can  be  accomplished  in  the 
following  manner :  Hold  one  corner  of  the  sheet  between  the 
thumb  and  forefinger;  rub  that  corner  briskly  with  a  moistened 
finger  of  the  other  hand,  and  the  layers  will  then  become  de- 
tached and  can  easily  be  separated  by  running  the  finger  down 
the  edge  between  the  two  layers.  Then,  holding  the  paper  down 
upon  a  flat  surface,  the  layers  can  be  drawn  asunder  across  the 
whole  width  of  the  sheet.  By  tearing  the  sheet  once  lengthwise 
and  twice  crosswise,  we  have  pieces  of  a  convenient  size  for  use. 
As  new  paper  scratches  more  or  less,  it  will  be  advisable  to  rub 
the  grit  off  upon  another  piece  ;  then  by  moistening  the  back  we 
are  able  conveniently  to  get  into  the  corners  without  scouring  the 
edges  through.  Should  the  sandpaper  still  scratch  (which  it  fre- 


THE    HARDWOOD    FINISHER.  35 

quently  does  when  inferior  stock  is  used  for  coating),  haircloth 
will  do  instead,  using  the  hair  side  on  the  surface.  This  can  be 
obtained  at  any  furniture  repair  shop. 

A  very  important  part  of  hardwood  finishing  is  the  varnishing. 
Simple  as  it  looks,  it  is  extremely  difficult  to  properly  lay  on  a 
coat  of  varnish,  and  experienced  varnishers  will  tell  us  that  this  is 
so.  Scarcely  two  varnishers  work  alike,  and  it  takes  time  and 
patient  experience  with  any  particular  varnish  to  learn  its  pecul- 
iarities. We  cannot  teach  how  the  varnishing  should  be  done, 
but  we  can  give  a  few  general  directions  that  may  prove  helpful. 
In  the  first  place,  do  not  be  afraid  of  your  varnish  ;  do  not  get 
excited  if  it  threatens  to  give  trouble.  I  have  seen  a  carriage- 
painter  tremble  so  when  applying  a  strange  varnish  that  he  ap- 
peared as  though  in  an  ague-fit,  and  it  is  needless  to  say  that  it 
was  a  bad  job.  Apply  the  varnish  quickly  and  freely,  and  do 
not  work  it  much;  the  less  varnish  is  worked  after  being  applied, 
the  higher  will  be  the  lustre.  Remember  this,  for  it  is  true  and 
very  important  to  know.  Flow  it  on  freely  with  a  flat  brush  of 
suitable  width,  and  use  a  badger  or  fitch  hair  brush ;  a  fine  elas- 
tic or  half-elastic  chiselled  bristle  brush  is  very  good.  I  mention 
the  badger  and  the  fitch  more  because  they  will  outwear  any  bris- 
tle varnish  brush  and  of  course  are  cheaper. 

A  pound  or  any  other  bristle  brush  will  answer  for  varnishing 
grained  or  painted  work,  on  which  the  varnish  is  generally  scrub- 
bed, but  in  varnishing  natural  wood  it  should  be  laid  on  so  as  to 
level  the  surface,  for  which  purpose  fine-haired  brushes  are  neces- 
sary. 

Having  the  surface  of  the  wood  filled  and  shellacked,  we  have 
a  ground-work  suitable  for  any  class  of  work  from  piano  polish  to 
cheap  one-coat  work.  In  selecting  the  varnish  for  the  latter — 
which  is  generally  left  in  the  gloss — use  a  "  finishing"  varnish; 
that  is,  a  varnish  retaining  a  bright  gloss  when  dry.  However, 
the  varnishes  with  the  brightest  gloss  are  generally  not  very 
durable.  When  successive  coats  are  to  be  applied  either  in 
oil — finishing — /'.  e.,  oil  rubbing — or  polishing,  a  varnish  is 


36  THE   HARDWOOD   FINISHER. 

required  that  dries  hard,  but  not  brittle,  the  latter  especially 
being  characteristic  of  cheap  gum  varnish,  such  as  colophony — 
common  pitch  or  rosin — poor  copal,  etc.  If  the  varnish  con- 
"tains  much  oil,  it  will  render  it  elastic,  making  it  difficult  to  rub ; 
and  therefore  a  good  rubbing  varnish  should  be  made  either  of 
amber  or  of  copal,  the  former  being  especially  adapted  to  the 
manufacture  of  polishing  varnish,  as  the  gum  is  susceptible  of  a 
very  fine  polish.  Varnishes  to  suit  almost  any  purpose  are 
generally  obtainable  at  the  dealers.  We  never  can  expect  good 
results  if  we  put  a  hard  varnish  over  an  elastic  one  or  apply  a 
coat  before  the  previous  one  is  dry.  These  are  the  main  causes 
for  varnishing  cracking.  The  same  trouble  also  arises  when  var- 
nish is  applied  too  heavily,  so  that  the  coat  forms  an  enamel  on 
the  surface,  remaining  soft  underneath,  and  then  drying  very 
slowly.  While  drying,  the  surface  enamel  contracts,  consequent- 
ly drawing  the  cracks  open  quite  wide. 

It  is  impossible  to  lay  down  rules  which  by  simply  being  read 
would  make  a  practical  varnisher  of  a  person,  as  varnishing  requires 
much  judgment  and  practice,  but  a  few  "tips"  may  not  go 
amiss  ;  at  any  rate,  they  assist  in  completing  the  subject. 

We  will  now  enter  a  room  that  has  been  sandpapered  as 
described  previously,  having  a  temperature  of  about  seventy 
degrees.  We  sprinkle  with  water,  not  flooding  the  floor,  as  a 
very  damp  atmosphere  would  prove  injurious  to  the  gloss  of  the 
varnish,  then  with  a  painter's  duster  carefully  dust  off  all  the 
work.  This  generally  ends  the  preparation,  but  in  order  to  re- 
move all  the  dust  it  requires  wiping  off  with  a  damp  chamois 
skin  ;  and  when  all  is  clean  and  dry,  we  are  ready  for  the  varnish. 
For  a  bucket  or  pot  use  one  of  the  clean  tin  pails  known  as 
"  two-quart-lunch  pails."  Then,  to  prevent  the  varnish  from 
running  down  the  outside  by  scraping  the  brush  over  the  edge, 
a  bar  should  be  soldered  across  the  pail  about  ^  inch  from 
the  top  and  a  little  on  one  side  from  the  centre.  Manufac- 
turers claim  that  varnish  should  be  used  just  as  it  is  sold,  and 
we  find  that  nearly  all  good  quality  of  varnishes  work  freely 


THE    HAKDWOOD   FINISHER.  37 

without  diluting,  but  how  to  obtain  good  results  with  some  of 
their  cheap  stuff  without  diluting  remains  a  mystery  to  finishers. 
If,  therefore,  the  varnish  is  of  a  poor,  thick  quality,  add  turpen- 
tine until  it  spreads  freely  with  your  "  fitch  brush,"  which,  if  the 
work  is  very  complicated,  should  be  two  inches  in  width  ;   and  if 
the  work  be  plain,  a  three-inch  could  be   used   to   advantage. 
Varnish  should  be  applied  freely — or,  rather,  flowed  on,  and  not 
rubbed  out,  or  "  skinned"  on,  as   finishers   term   it.     In   ap- 
plying the  varnish,  first  run  freely  over  a  panel,  then  run  over  it 
crosswise.     If  there  are  projections  rising  with  an  angle,  or  any 
grooves  or  depressions,  as  in  mouldings,  they  will  retain  more 
varnish  than  the  flat  surface,  and  to  prevent  running  down  in 
them  it  requires  drawing  out.     This  is  done   by   stabbing   the 
brush  into  the  angles  and  at  the  same  time  drawing  it  out  toward 
the  flat  surface  ;  and  when  this  is  done,  the  whole  length  of  the 
angle,  we  finish  by  laying  off  up  and  down.     This  should  com- 
plete this  portion  of  the  work  without  being  obliged  to  touch  it 
again,  and  thus  proceeding  until  a  section  of  panels  have  been 
finished,  when  the  frame  should  be  gone  over.     In  coating  the 
panels  the  surface  of  the  frame  is  very  often  daubed — in  fact  this 
is  nearly  inevitable — and  to  coat  over  this  would  form  fat  edges  ; 
so  we  shall  again  make  it  fluid  by  mixing  it  with  the  fresh  var- 
nish, and  this  is  done  by  "pounding"  it   up   well — or,    as  a 
painter  would  call  it,  "  stabbing  "  it — when  it  can  be  evenly  laid 
off.     The  amount  a  surface  will  hold  without  running   can   be 
ascertained  only  by  experience  and  judgment ;  although  much  de- 
pends upon  the  way  it  is  laid  off,  as  a  greater  quantity  can  be  ap- 
plied if  laid  off  up  and  down  than  horizontally,  as  the  brush- 
marks  give  occasion  for  the  varnish  to  "sag."     But  if  such  should 
take  place  after  the  varnish  is  partly  set,  it  could  be  stopped  by 
stabbing  with  the  brush  rubbed  out  dry,  although  this  will  leave 
the  surface  pitted,  but,  at  any  rate,  much  easier  to  rub  out  than  a 
run.     The  brushes,  when  not  in  use,  should  be  kept  in  varnish  or 
washed  out  clean,  which  can  be  done  by  rubbing  them  out  well 


38  THE    HARDWOOD   FINISHER. 

with  kerosene  and  then  washing  them  with  soap  and  water  until 
perfectly  clean. 

Should  it  be  desired  after  applying  one  coat  of  varnish,  to 
proceed  with  the  oil  finish,  that  is  "  oil  rubbing  or  polishing," 
we  should  first  take  into  consideration  the  condition  of  our  sur- 
face. Providing  that  one  coat  has  filled  the  little  depressions  of 
the  grain  to  a  perfect  level,  we  are  prepared  to  proceed  with  the 
rubbing  ;  but  this  levelling  is  seldom  effected  with  one  coat,  re- 
quiring, as  a  rule,  at  least  two  coats  for  fine  wood  and  three  or 
four  coats  for  coarse-grained  woods.  The  main  object,  however, 
is  to  form  a  coating  sufficiently  heavy  to  prevent  rubbing  it 
entirely  off  from  the  elevations  in  getting  it  down  to  that  in  the 
depressions. 

As  to  the  best  method  of  rubbing  and  polishing  as  much  or 
more  diversity  of  opinion  exists  than  in  any  other  branch  of  the 
trade.  This  is  probably  due  to  the  scheming  and  experimenting 
of  the  so-called  "  rushers,"  who  get  nervous  at  seeing  a  man  take 
sufficient  time  to  rub  down  a  surface,  and  thus  devise  some  new 
plan  for  hustling  out  the  work,  and  generally,  when  the 
gloss  is  removed,  the  job  is  completed  regardless  of  appearance. 
But  nevertheless  in  all  of  these  snide  finishes  there  is  generally  a 
point  or  two  of  importance  for  us.  We  have  for  instance,  a  dead 
finish  produced  by  adding  wax  to  varnish.  This  is  made  by 
scraping  the  wax  fine,  putting  it  into  a  dish  and  covering  it  with 
a  good  turpentine  japan  placed  over  a  fire  to  dissolve,  but  with  a 
moderate  heat.  When  dissolved,  add  twice  its  amount  of  var- 
nish and  apply  with  a  fitch  flowing  brush.  Although  this  does 
not  produce  a  rubbed  finish,  it  produces  quite  a  clever  imitation, 
and  we  can  use  it  to  advantage  on  the  slats  of  shutters  and  on 
elaborately  carved  capitals,  etc.  It  is  not  infrequently  employed 
in  floor  finishing. 

There  is  a  method  practised  which  removes  the  gloss  from  the 
varnish  by  rubbing  with  a  mixture  of  oil  and  pumice-stone  ap- 
plied with  a  furniture  scrub  brush,  or,  for  a  large  flat  surface,  a 
commercial  stencil  brush — No.  12  or  14  is  frequently  used — dip- 


THE    HARDWOOD    FINISHER.  39 

ping  the  brush  into  the  mixture  and  scrubbing  it  on  to  the  sur- 
face ;  three  or  four  scrubs  are  generally  sufficient,  depending  par- 
ticularly upon  the  cleaning  off  with  wadding  completely  to  remove 
the  grass.  Unless  the  varnish  has  been  very  cleanly  applied  and 
is  perfectly  level,  it  does  not  amount  to  much,  for  it  does  not 
smooth  the  surface. 

Others,  again,  first  sandpaper  the  surface  with  fine  sandpaper, 
then  rub  it  a  trifle  with  oil  and  pumice,  using  a  piece  of  burlap  or 
old  felt  boot  for  a  rubber.  The  only  way  yet  discovered  by 
which  to  level  the  surface  is  to  rub  it  down  with  felt.  For  this 
operation  we  provide  ourselves  with  a  set  of  rubbers  which  may 
be  made  as  follows  :  First  take  a  piece  of  white  Spanish  felt  one 
inch  thick  and  about  3x5  in  size  ;  split  it  in  two,  and  keep  one 
half  for  the  large  plain  surfaces.  Then  again  split  the  other  half, 
obtaining  two  thin  pieces,  reserving  one  for  mouldings,  etc.,  to 
which  it  will  easily  conform.  We  now  want  some  tools  to  get 
into  small  corners  so  we  whittle  sticks  about  six  or  eight  inches 
long  and  in  shape  of  a  triangle,  half  round  and  oblong ;  then, 
cutting  the  ends  square,  glue  a  piece  of  thin  felt  upon  it,  allow- 
ing the  glue  to  dry  thoroughly  before  putting  in  oil.  For 
getting  around  in  the  bottom  of  carvings,  we  whittle  a  stick  of 
basswood  bark,  and,  moistening  it,  stub  the  end  to  a  pulp.  A 
scrub  brush  will  also  be  necessary  to  remove  the  gloss  from  the 
beads  and  around  the  edges  of  the  panels,  etc.  The  oil  generally 
used  for  rubbing  is  golden  oil,  known  as  machine  oil,  although 
crude  petroleum,  raw  linseed  and  cotton  seed  oils  are  often  used, 
but  none  of  the  latter  cut  so  rapidly  or  clean  off  so  well  as  the 
golden. 

Pumice-stone  No.  o  is  generally  used,  although  some  prefer 
No.  oo  or  ooo,  but  these  are  quite  fine,  and  therefore  do  not  cut 
very  fast.  In  applying  the  oil  and  pumice,  some  prefer  dipping 
the  rubber  first  into  the  oil,  then  into  the  powder,  and  thus  con- 
vey it  to  the  surface,  while  others  apply  the  oil  with  a  piece  of 
wadding,  then  sprinkle  on  the  powder. 

To  excel  in  rubbing,  like  all  other  branches  of  the  trade,  re- 


40  THE   HARDWOOD   FINISHER. 

quires  practice,  always  remembering  that  if  the  rubber  is  allowed 
to  lag  over  the  edge  while  drawing  back  and  forward  it  will  rub 
the  edge  through.  And,  furthermore,  the  work  should  always  be 
rubbed  lengthwise  the  grain,  so  if  it  be  necessary  at  the  ends  of 
panels  next  to  the  rails,  where  it  is  generally  inclined  to  be  rough, 
to  rub  crosswise,  it  should  be  rubbed  down  crosswise,  but  finished 
lengthwise,  to  take  away  the  scratchy  appearance.  Before  at- 
tempting to  rub,  the  varnish  should  resist  the  impression  of  the 
finger-nail,  or  when  rubbed  before  dry  it  will  again  flow,  causing 
bright  spots  to  reappear,  generally  known  as  "sweating,"  and 
would  require  re-rubbing  after  becoming  dry.  An  experienced 
hand  could  easily  tell  when  his  surface  was  sufficiently  rubbed  by 
raising  the  felt  or  edge  and  drawing  a  clean  streak  the  length  of 
the  work,  and  if  the  surface  has  lost  its  pitted  appearance  the  rub- 
bing is  complete  and  ready  to  be  cleaned  off.  This  is  accom- 
plished easier  if  done  directly,  not  allowing  the  oil  to  soak  and 
soften  the  varnish,  which  causes  the  surface  to  appear  mottled  and 
smeary. 

In  cleaning  use  fine  softwood  sawdust,  moistened  a. trifle  to  pre- 
vent scratching ;  and  when  the  bulk  of  the  oil  is  removed,  the 
corners  picked  out  and  the  work  dusted  it  is  again  wiped  off  with 
wadding  or  waste,  splitting  the  sheets  of  wadding  to  get  the  soft 
inside,  then  with  the  point  of  a  pick  and  the  wadding  the  beads 
and  corners  are  carefully  freed  from  all  particles  of  oil  and  pum- 
ice. Should  there  be  sags  and  funs  or  wrinkles  which  the  ordi- 
nary rubbing  did  not  remove,  they  should  be  rubbed  out  with 
pumice  and  strong  soapsuds,  then  rubbed  over  a  little  with  the 
oil  again. 

It  is  often  required,  in  finishing  a  job,  to  form  a  contrast  by 
polishing  the  raise  of  the  panels,  thus  producing  a  rich  and  ele- ' 
gant  finish. 

In  polishing  as  well  as  rubbing  the  hustlers  have  their  schemes. 
One  scheme  commonly  practised  is,  after  the  ordinary  oil  rub- 
bing, to  rub  the  surface  to  be  polished  with  a  bunch  of  raw  cot- 
ton moistened  with  about  equal  parts  of  sweet  oil  and  alcohol, 


THE   HARDWOOD   FINISHER.  41 

the  oil  and  spirits  being  put  into  a  bottle  and  well  shaken  before 
moistening  the  cotton.  Although  this  may  be  a  hustler's  scheme, 
an  experienced  hand  with  it  can  produce  elegant  results.  In 
hand  polishing  proceed  somewhat  differently.  First  complete  the 
oil  rubbing,  omitting  the  parts  to  be  polished,  then  proceed  by 
rubbing  those  parts  with  pumice  and  water,  using  pumice  for  that 
purpose,  levelling  the  surface  as  much  as  the  coating  will  permit, 
then  cleaning  off  with  damp  chamois  frequently  rinsed  in  clean 
water.  We  then  apply  a  coat  of  polishing  varnish,  which,  when 
dry,  is  again  rubbed  down  with  pumice  flour  and  water,  using  a 
fine  but  soft  piece  of  felt ;  and  when  perfectly  smooth,  it  is  care- 
fully cleaned  off,  so  that  none  of  the  pumice  remains  upon  the 
surface,  as  this  will  scratch  and  destroy  the  polish.  It  is  then 
rubbed  again  with  rotten  stone  and  a  piece  of  chamois  leather, 
using  the  lump  of  rotten  stone  and  changing  the  rubber  by  rub- 
bing it  over  the  lump  three  or  four  times,  then  rubbing  the  sur- 
face quite  briskly,  for  in  this  rubbing  is  where  the  polishing 
really  is  done.  This  powder  then  is  allowed  to  dry  upon  the  sur- 
face, and  then  with  a  short  circular  motion  with  the  ball  of  the 
hand  we  proceed  to  rub  off  the  powder,  frequently  wiping  the 
hand  upon  a  rag  free  from  all  other  dust  or  pumice-stone.  Then, 
if  the  varnish  was  of  a  superior  quality,  the  polish  is  complete ; 
but  should  the  varnish  contain  cheap  gum  or  a  too  great  amount 
of  oil,  it  is  nearly  impossible  to  produce  a  bright  polish,  although 
in  this  case  the  method  first  mentioned  would  prove  quite  effect- 
ive— viz.,  that  of  using  an  old  silk  handkerchief  to  rub  with  in 
place  of  the  cotton. 

In  the  finest  sort  of  general  work,  get  a  good  quality  of  car- 
riage varnish,  and  be  sure  and,  do  not  mix  either  oil  or  tur- 
pentine with  it,  as  it  is  prepared  and  put  up  for  immediate  use 
and  specially  prepared  to  meet  special  needs.  Two  coats  of  var- 
nish are  usually  sufficient  when  the  filling  has  been  complete. 
When  the  first  coat  is  dry,  rub  it  down  with  pulverized  pumice- 
stone  and  water — in  some  cases  simply  with  curled  hair,  which 
removes  the  gloss  and  makes  a  good  finishing-coat  possible.  The 


42  THE   HARDWOOD   FINISHER. 

rubbing  accomplished,  wash  and  dust  off  well ;  then  apply  the 
finishing-coat  of  varnish.  If  a  "  polished  "  surface  be  required, 
the  last  coat  must  be  rubbed  down  as  before  with  pumice-stone 
and  brought  to  a  mirror-like  surface  with  rotten-stone  and  water. 
Clear  up  with  a  lijtle  sweet  oil,  and  afterward  with  a  cloth  damp- 
ened with  alcohol.  A  "dead  finish"  is  produced  by  rubbing 
the  varnished  surface  with  powdered  pumice-stone  and  raw  lin- 
seed oil,  which  gives  a  semi -lustrous  finish  of  great  beauty  and 
durability.  Another  method  of  polishing  hardwood  is  described 
as  follows :  Take  a  long  piece  of  list  or  coarse  flannel  and  roll  it 
up  in  a  wad  like  a  roll  of  rope,  and  over  this  wrap  a  soft  piece  of 
linen  several  times  doubled  up ;  sew  it  on  tightly  and  form  a  sort 
of  handle  by  tying  up  a  round  wad.  Then  put  into  a  saucer  some 
shellac  varnish,  into  which  dip  the  flat  side  of  the  wad  until  it 
becomes  saturated.  Pouring  a  few  drops  of  boiled  linseed  oil  on 
the  face  of  the  wad,  rub  the  work  briskly  and  lightly  in  a  circular 
direction,  doing  a  small  space  at  a  time  until  the  whole  surface  is 
gone  over.  Repeat  the  operation,  allowing  each  successive  ap- 
plication to  dry  well,  or  rubbing  dry  and  not  putting  on  too 
much  polishing-liquid  at  a  time. 

Observe  cleanliness  and  care  during  these  operations.  Such 
parts  as  cannot  well  be  reached  with  the  wad  polish  with  a  bit  of 
flannel.  This  will  give  a  very  durable  polish,  and  the  parts  are 
readily  brightened  up  at  any  time  by  means  of  flannel  moistened 
with  oil.  Remember  that  in  all  these  operations  the  utmost  care 
and  patience  must  be  exercised  if  one  would  have  a  perfect  job. 
Do  not  slight  the  work  in  the  minutest  particular.  Take  your 
time  and  do  everything  as  it  should  be  done,  filling  in  well,  rub- 
bing down  smoothly  and  dusting  off  carefully. 

A  term  sometimes  used  by  American  workmen  is  somewhat 
misleading ;  I  refer  to  the  word  "  flowing,"  as  applied  to  varnish- 
ing. The  term  is  given  to  the  process  of  giving  the  work,  after 
it  has  been  properly  prepared,  a  coat  of  varnish  made  expressly 
for  that  purpose,  called  "  flowing  varnish."  The  process  as  so 
named,  as  given  herewith  is  quoted  from  an  English  authority : 


THE   HARDWOOD   FINISHER.  43 

Veneered  panels  are  usually  finished  that  way.  Some  finishers, 
when  the  body-work  is  to  be  dead-finish  with  flowed  panels,  coat 
the  panels  with  the  same  varnish — shellac  or  other — used  for  the 
body,  and  rub  them  with  pumice-stone  and  oil ;  in  fact,  up  to 
the  point  of  flowing  make  no  difference  whatever  in  the  treatment 
of  the  body-work  and  the  panels.  Such  treatment  is  not  recom- 
mended ;  whatever  varnish  is  used  for  the  body-work,  the  panels 
should  be  coated  with  two  or  three  coats  of  the  best  rubbing  var- 
nish ;  oil  should  not  be  used  for  rubbing,  as,  if  the  surface  is  at 
all  greasy,  the  subsequent  coat  of  flowing  varnish  cannot  be 
evenly  laid,  therefore  water  should  be  used  with  the  pumice-stone 
for  rubbing,  in  place  of  oil.  After  the  rubbing  is  completed, 
wash  off  with  a  sponge,  and  dry  with  a  chamois  skin.  Let  it 
stand  for  a  day,  and  after  freeing  the  work  from  all  pumice-stone 
and  dust,  taking  it  to  the  flowing-room,  which  should  be  clean, 
dry,  and  free  from  all  draughts  of  air,  apply  the  varnish  with  a 
flat  brush  of  suitable  width,  made  of  badger  or  fitch  hair ;  lay  the 
varnish  on  smoothly  and  evenly,  leaving  no  marks  of  the  brush. 
The  quicker  the  varnish  is  put  on,  and  the  less  it  is  worked,  the 
better  it  will  look.  Let  it  stand  in  the  room  until  it  is  hard 
enough  to  handle.  Upholstered  work  should  not  be  flowed  until 
it  comes  from  the  hands  of  the  upholsterer  and  is  ready  for  the 
ware-rooms. 

Varnish  polishing  is  used  when  it  is  desired  to  give  to  the  work 
a  bright  lustre,  differing  from  the  natural  gloss,  and  resulting 
from  a  perfectly  smooth  surface  produced  by  rubbing.  The  pre- 
viously applied  coats  of  rubbing  varnish  having  been  rubbed 
down  with  pumice-stone  and  water,  one  or  more  coats  of  polish- 
ing varnish  are  applied,  rubbed  down  as  before,  and  brought  to  a 
bright  mirror-like  surface  with  rotten-stone  and  water.  Clean  up 
with  a  little  sweet  oil,  and  afterward  with  a  cloth  damped  in 
alcohol. 

There  are  many  makes  of  varnish  in  the  market  at  the  present 
writing,  that  are  especially  adapted  for  natural  wood  finish  and 
which  may  be  obtained  from  any  respectable  dealer.  The  most 


44  THE   HARDWOOD   FINISHER. 

reliable  manufacturers  of  varnish  in  the  United  States,  whose 
preparations  may  be  depended  on  to  a  dead  certainty,  do  not 
number  more  than  a  half  a  dozen  firms  among  which  may  be 
named  Devoe  &  Co.,  of  New  York  City,  Murphy  &  Co.,  of  New 
York,  and  Berry  Bros.,  of  Detroit,  Mich.  The  Murphy  Com- 
pany make  a  transparent  varnish  that  is  extensively  used  in  the  trade. 
It  is  used  for  either  a  high  polish  or  dead  surface.  It  is  recom- 
mended especially  for  developing  the  grain  of  natural  wood  ;  for 
durability  in  all  temperatures,  freedom  from  discoloration  from 
soap,  water  or  acids,  a  perfect  adherence  to  the  surfaces,  prevent- 
ing cracking,  flaking  or  blistering,  while  acting  as  a  good  preserva- 
tive of  the  wood  or  metal,  preventing  either  decay  or  rust. 

It  is  made  in  different  qualities,  adapted  to  interior  finishing  on 
walls,  floors  or  ceilings  in  halls,  bath-rooms  or  kitchens  for  dwel- 
lings, asylums  and  hospitals,  and  also  for  exterior  work,  such  as 
front  doors,  vestibules,  window  castings,  and  protecting  the  wood 
from  weather  exposure. 

The  Berry  Bros,  of  Detroit,  also  make  a  white  varnish  that 
possesses  all  the  requisites  of  a  first-class  finishing  material.  The 
preparations  of  Devoe  &  Co.  are  so  well  known  and  so 
universally  used,  that  only  a  bare  reference  to  them  is  necessary. 
Doubtless  there  are  other  makes  of  varnish  that  answer  equally  well 
with  those  named. 

I  think  I  have  now  placed  before  the  reader  pretty  nearly  all 
that  is  worth  saying  on  the  subject  of  hardwood  and  natural  wood 
finish,  and  have  drawn  largely  from  the  best  authorities  extant ; 
but  it  would  not  be  wise  to  close  this  section,  without  giving  as 
briefly  as  possible,  a  few  rules  on  the  now  almost  obsolete  process 
of  French  polishing,  as  occasionally  this  method  of  finishing  is 
employed  for  certain  purposes  : 

French  polishing  is  a  method  of  varnishing  by  rubbing  the  var- 
nish upon  the  surface  of  the  wood  instead  of  applying  it  with 
brushes.  When  varnish  is  applied  simply  with  a  brush,  a  com- 
paratively uneven  surface  results,  rendering  necessary  the  subse- 
quent process  of  rubbing  and  polishing,  but  by  the  method  of 


THE   HARDWOOD   FINISHES.  45 

French  polishing,  a  smooth  and  continuous,  surface  hard  and 
not  easily  scratched,  is  secured. 

All  the  polishes  are  applied  very  much  in  the  same  way,  and  a 
general  description  will  therefore  be  sufficient.  To  obtain  a  good 
polish  with  lac  varnish  on  wood,  the  quantity  applied  must  be 
very  small,  and  must  be  rubbed  continuously  until  dry.  If  the 
work  be  porous  or  cross  grained,  it  will  be  necessary  to  give 
it  a  coat  of  thin  clear  size  previous  to  commencing  with  the 
polish  ;  when  dry,  the  surface  must  be  smoothed  with  fine  glass 
or  sand-paper.  The  size  fills  up  the  pores  and  saves  the  polish, 
and  also  saves  considerable  time  in  the  operation. 

Make  a  wad  of  cotton-batting,  covered  with  several  folds  of 
very  new  fine  soft  linen  cloth  ;  put  the  wad  or  cushion  to  the  mouth 
of  the  bottle  containing  the  preparation  (or  polish)  and  shake  it 
sufficiently  to  damp  the  cloth  ;  then  proceed  to  lightly  rub  the 
work  with  circular  motion  ;  as  the  rubber  becomes  drier,  the 
pressure  may  be  increased,  but  care  should  be  taken  not  to  press 
too  heavily  when  the  rubber  contains  much  polish,  as  a  streakiness 
will  result.  The  circular  motion  should  be  continued  until  the 
rubber  becomes  quite  dry,  when  more  polish  may  be  taken  upon  it 
and  the  rubbing  renewed.  It  should  be  borne,  in  mind  that  the 
rubber  should  never  be  raised  directly  from  the  work,  but  should 
be  raised  with  a  sweeping  motion  ;  also  that  it  should  never  for 
a  moment  remain  quiet  upon  the  surface  ;  and  that  its  motion 
should  be  as  even  as  possible  ;  neglect  of  these  precautions  will 
produce  a  rough  surface  wherever  the  rubber  remains  quiet  or  is 
improperly  removed.  The  circular  rubbing  must  be  continued 
until  the  surface  appears  perfectly  smooth  and  the  pores  are  no 
longer  visible.  Be  very  particular  to  keep  the  cloth  covering  of 
of  the  wad  clean  and  soft ;  it  is  desirable  to  use  a  clean  por- 
tion each  time  it  is  dipped  in  the  polish.  It  is  quite  likely  that 
in  about  twelve  hours  after  the  above  operation  the  surface  of  the 
work  will  be  lustreless,  and  the  grain  plainly  visible,  in  that  case 
proceed  over  the  work  again  until  the  grain  is  thoroughly  filled. 
French  polishing  is  a  process  requiring  particular  care  and  skill, 


46  THE   HARDWOOD   FINISHES. 

and  considerable  experience  is  necessary  to  produce  good 
results. 

Beginners  will  find  that  they  will  be  more  successful  with  a 
flannel  rubber,  made  in  the  shape  of  a  ball.  Most  polishers  use 
wadding,  which  is  more  pliable  and  better  to  get  in  the  internal 
angles  or  small  mouldings  A  bottle  with  a  slit  cork  is  the  best  to 
apply  the  polish  to  the  rubber.  In  commencing,  the  rubber  should 
not  be  rubbed  quite  dry,  as  you  will  never  get  any  body  on  the 
work  by  so  doing;  but,  as  the  shiny  appearance  advances,  you 
must  rub  each  rubber  dry.  Every  time  the  rubber  is  wetted  with 
polish  it  should  be  pressed  in  the  palm  of  the  left  hand,  which 
will  equalize  the  polish.  After  the  cover  is  put  over,  which 
should  be  some  clean  old  cotton  or  print  rags,  the  top  of  the 
finger  should  be  dipped  in  linseed  oil  and  applied  to  rubber- 
cover — just  enough  to  keep  it  from  sticking.  As  soon  as  the 
cover  has  a  shiny  appearance,  it  should  be  removed  to  a  fresh 
place.  As  soon  as  the  work  has  got  a  good  body  of  polish  on,  it 
should  be  set  away  for  at  least  ten  hours,  to  allow  for  the  polish 
to  sink,  which  always  takes  place. 

Before  commencing  to  polish  again,  the  work  should  be  very 
carefully  rubbed  over  with  the  finest  glass-paper  obtainable,  tak- 
ing care  not  to  cut  through  the  skin ;  then  proceed  as  before. 
Be  sure  never  to  let  the  rubber  stop  in  one  place  for  an  instant, 
as  it  will  surely  take  off  the  polish  to  the  bare  wood  and  spoil  the 
job.  After  the  work  has  sufficient  polish  on,  it  should  be  allowed 
to  stand  three  or  four  hours  before  spiriting  off. 

The  same  rubber  will  do ;  only  use  spirits.  Just  damp  the 
rubber,  and  cover  three  or  four  times  double  with  cover,  and  rub 
very  lightly  over  the  work ;  but  care  must  be  taken  not  to  make 
the  rubber  too  wet,  or  the  work  will  be  spoilt.  The  same  process 
will  answer  for  pine  or  deal,  only  no  filling  is  required,  but  a 
coat  of  clean  patent  size,  before  applying  the  polish. 

The  ingredients  for  the  above  kind  of  work  are  quite  numerous, 
but  shellac,  dissolved  in  alcohol,  is  the  basis  of  all  French  pol- 
ishes, and  some  finishers  use  thin  shellac  varnish  without  other 


THE   HARDWOOD   FINISHES.  47 

admixture,  slightly  moistening  the  rubber  with  linseed  oil  to  pre- 
vent stickiness  and  make  it  work  smoothly.  There  is  a  great 
variety  of  admixtures  and  diversity  in  the  proportion  of  ingred- 
ients, but  the  differences  are  not  material.  I  subjoin  a  number 
of  receipts. 

First  and  Besti — To  one  pint  of  spirits  of  wine  add  a  quarter 
of  an  ounce  of  gum-copal,  a  quarter  of  an  ounce  of  gum-Arabic, 
and  one  ounce  of  shellac. 

Let  the  gums  be  well  bruised,  and  sifted  through  a  piece  of 
muslin.  Put  the  spirits  and  the  gums  together  in  a  vessel  that  can 
be  closely  corked ;  place  them  near  a  warm  stove,  and  frequently 
shake  them.  In  two  or  three  days  they  will  be  dissolved.  Strain 
the  mixture  through  a  piece  of  muslin,  and  keep  it  tight  corked 
for  use. 

Nexti — Take  one  ounce  each  of  mastic,  sandarac,  seed  lac, 
shellac,  gumlac,  and  gum-Arabic  ;  reduce  them  to  powder;  and 
add  a  quarter  of  an  ounce  of  virgin  wax ;  put  the  whole  into  a 
bottle,  with  one  quart  of  rectified  spirits  of  wine ;  let  it  stand 
twelve  hours,  and  it  will  be  fit  for  use. 

An  Other  • — Put  into  a  glass  bottle  one  ounce  of  gumlac,  two 
drachms  of  mastic  in  drops,  four  drachms  of  sandarac,  three 
ounces  of  shellac,  and  half  an  ounce  of  gum  dragon  ;  reduce  the 
whole  to  powder  ;  add  to  it  a  piece  of  camphor  the  size  of  a  nut, 
and  pour  on  it  eight  ounces  of  rectified  spirits  of  wine.  Stop  the 
bottle  close,  but  take  care,  when  the  gums  are  dissolving,  that  it 
is  not  more  than  half  full.  Place  near  a  warm  stove  until  dis- 
solved. 

Other  French-Polish  Receipts,—1  Pint  naphtha,  3^  ounces 

orange  shellac,  ^  ounce  elima.     Darken  with  red  saunders  wood. 

To  one  pint  of  spirits  of  wine,  add  half  an  ounce  of  gum  shel- 
lac, half  an  ounce  of  seed  lac,  and  a  quarter  of  an  ounce  of  gum 
sandarac  ;  submit  the  whole  to  a  gentle  heat,  frequently  shaking 
it,  till  the  various  gums  are  dissolved,  when  it  is  fit  for  use. 

Shellac,  6  ounces ;  naptha,  i  quart ;  sandarac,  i  ounce ;  ben- 
zoin, y^.  ounce. 


48  THE   HAKDWOOD   FINISHER. 

Three  ounces  shellac,  ^  ounce  of  gum  mastic  pulverized,  and 
one  pint  of  methylated  spirits  of  wine  added.  Let  it  stand  till 
dissolved. 

Twelve  ounces  shellac,  2  ounces  gum  elima,  3  ounces  gum  co- 
pal, i  gallon  of  spirits  of  wine ;  dissolve. 

The  following  must  be  well  mixed  and  dissolved  : — Pale  shel- 
lac, 2j^  pounds;  3  ounces  mastic,  3  ounces  sandarac,  i  gallon 
spirits  of  wine.  After  the  above  is  dissolved,  add  i  pint  copal 
varnish,  i^"  ounces  shellac,  y2  ounce  gum  juniper,  y2  ounce  ben- 
zoin, y2  pint  of  methylated  alcohol. 

A  Good  Polishi — To  a  pint  of  spirits  of  wine  add,  in  fine  pow- 
der, one  ounce  seed  lac,  two  drachms  of  gum  guaiacum,  two 
drachms  of  dragon's-blood,  and  two  drachms  of  gum  mastic  ;  ex- 
pose them,  in  a  vessel  stopped  close,  to  a  moderate  heat  for  three 
hours,  until  you  find  the  gums  dissolved ;  strain  the  whole  into  a 
bottle  for  use,  with  a  quarter  of  a  gill  of  the  best  linseed  oil,  to  be 
shaken  up  well  with  it. 

This  polish  is  more  particularly  intended  for  dark-colored 
woods — for  it  is  apt  to  give  a  tinge  to  light  ones,  as  satin-wood  or 
air-wood,  etc. — owing  to  the  admixture  of  the  dragon's-blood, 
which  gives  it  a  red  appearance. 

A  Polish  that  Will  Stand  Water,— Take  a  pint  of  spirits  of 

wine,  two  ounces  of  gum  benzoin,  a  quarter  of  an  ounce  of  gum 
sandarac,  and  a  quarter  of  an  ounce  of  gum  anime  ;  these  must 
be  put  into  a  stopped  bottle,  and  placed  either  in  a  sand-bath  or 
in  hot  water  till  dissolved  ;  then  strain  the  mixture,  and,  after 
adding  about  a  quarter  of  a  gill  of  the  best  clear  poppy  oil,  shake 
it  well  up,  and  put  it  by  for  use. 

Prepared  SpiritSi — This  preparation  is  useful  for  finishing 
after  any  of  the  foregoing  receipts,  as  it  adds  to  the  lustre  and 
durability,  as  well  as  removes  every  defect,  of  the  other  polishes  ; 
and  it  gives  the  surface  a  most  brilliant  appearance. 

Half  a  pint  of  the  very  best  rectified  spirits  of  wine,  two 
drachms  of  shellac,  and  two  drachms  of  gum  benzoin.  Put  these 
ingredients  into  a  bottle,  and  keep  it  in  a  warm  place  till  the  gum 


THE   HARDWOOD    FINISHER.  49 

is  all  dissolved,  shaking  it  frequently ;  when  cold,  add  two  tea- 
spoonfuls  of  the  best  clear  white  poppy  oil ;  shake  them  well  to- 
gether, and  it  is  fit  for  use. 

This  preparation  is  used  in  the  same  manner  as  the  foregoing 
polishes ;  but,  in  order  to  remove  all  dull  places,  you  may  in- 
crease the  pressure  in  rubbing. 

Polish  for  Turner's  Work,— Dissolve  i  ounce  of  sandarac  in 
y2  pint  of  spirits  of  wine  ;  shave  i  ounce  of  beeswax,  and  dis- 
solve it  in  a  sufficient  quantity  of  spirits  of  turpentine  to  make  it 
into  a  paste,  add  the  former  mixture  to  it  by  degrees ;  then,  with 
a  woollen  cloth,  apply  it  to  the  work  while  it  is  in  motion  in  the 
lathe,  and  polish  it  with  a  soft  linen  rag ;  it  will  appear  as  if 
highly  varnished. 

A  French  Polish  Reviver,— Beat  gum  acacia  and  white  of  two 
eggs  in  a  mortar  until  they  amalgamate  ;  then  add  half  a  pint  of 
raw  linseed  oil  and  best  vinegar,  eight  ounces  methylated  spirits 
of  wine,  one  ounce  hydrochloric  acid  and  two  ounces  muriate  of 
antimony.  They  are  to  be  rubbed  on  the  surface  of  the  furniture 
until  dry,  and  will  give  a  brilliant  and  lasting  polish. 

It  now  remains  to  explain  the  several  varieties  of  finishing  in 
use  ;  these  are  largely  derived  from  the  peculiar  qualities  of  the 
different  varnishes  used.  Polishing  varnishes,  which  are  very 
hard  and  durable,  are  so  called  because  their  surface  can  be 
brought  to  a  high  lustre  by  rubbing  with  the  proper  materials. 
Flowing  or  finishing-varnishes  contain  more  oil  than  polishing- 
varnishes,  dry  more  slowly,  and  are  softer,  but  their  peculiar 
qualities  are  brilliancy  and  durability,  fitting  them  for  work  re- 
quiring a  brilliant  gloss,  such  as  veneered  panels.  Rubbing-var- 
nishes are  those  that  dry  sufficiently  hard  to  admit  of  being  rub- 
bed to  a  smooth  surface.  Turpentine  varnishes,  being  the  cheap- 
est variety,  are  employed  for  cheap  work,  such  as  common  chairs, 
bedsteads,  &c. 

Dead  Finish  is  a  term  applied  to  the  finish  produced  by  the 
reduction  of  any  of  the  rubbing  varnishes  with  powdered  pumice- 
stone,  and  raw  linseed  oil,  the  surface  thus  produced  being  left  in 
4 


50  THE   HABDWOOD   FINISHER. 

the  semi-lustrous  state  by  omitting  the  polishing  process.  It  is 
now  more  used  than  any  other  for  body  work,  shellac  varnish  be- 
ing generally  employed  because  of  its  adaptation  to  the  require- 
ments of  fine  cabinet-work,  and  its  properties  of  quick  and  hard 
drying.  Copal,  anime,  and  amber  varnishes  are  also  used,  but 
are  slower  drying.  The  number  of  coats  required  depends  some- 
what upon  the  quality  of  the  filler,  but  usually  three  coats,  and 
sometimes  less,  are  amply  sufficient. 

Varnish  Finish,— For  Cheap  Work,— One  coat  of  filler  or  stain 

followed  by  one  coat  of  cheap  turpentine  varnish  without  rub- 
bing. In  this  class  of  work  the  brilliancy  of  the  gloss  and  cover- 
ing qualities  of  the  varnish  are  principally  considered.  The 
cheaper  turpentine  varnishes  have  a  brilliant  gloss,  and  dry  very 
hard,  but  the  gloss  is  not  permanent,  and  after  drying  the  gum  is 
very  brittle  and  easily  cracked  and  broken.  The  gum  is  princi- 
pally common  resin. 

Wax  Finish, — ^x  together,  with  heat,  white  wax,  and  spirits 
of  turpentine  to  the  consistency  of  thick  paste  ;  when  cold,  apply 
it  to  the  wcrk  with  a  rag ;  rub  on  heavily  so  as  to  fill  the  pores  of 
the  wood  ;  remove  all  wax  from  the  surface  with  a  wooden 
scraper  made  in  the  shape  of  a  carpenter's  chisel ;  smooth  off 
with  a  bunch  of  soft  rags  by  rubbing  hard  and  quick  for  a  few 
minutes ;  finish  with  a  little  French  polish  applied  with  a  cotton 
pad.  For  table  tops  and  all  large  flat  surfaces,  allow  the  wax  to 
remain  on,  and  finish  with  a  warm  iron  by  passing  it  lightly  and 
quickly  over  the  work  until  the  wax  is  made  smooth  and  the  sur- 
face is  sufficiently  polished.  This  is  not  considered  a  desirable 
finish,  as  it  is  not  durable,  and  water  spots  it  very  easily. 

The  brushes  required  for  varnishing  are  of  many  kinds  and 
sizes  and  a  description  of  even  a  portion  of  them,  is  out  of  the 
question  in  a  small  work  of  this  kind  ;  however  a  few  remarks 
concerning  them  may  not  be  out  of  place.  For  spirit  varnishes, 
camel's-hair  pencils  and  brushes  are  used,  the  sizes  of  which  vary 
from  one-quarter  to  three-quarters  of  an  inch  diameter,  accord- 
ing to  the  size  of  the  work.  When  the  surfaces  are  very  large, 


THE   HARDWOOD   F1NISHEE.  51 

flat  camel-hair  brushes  are  used  ;  but  from  their  comparative 
thinness  they  scarcely  contain  a  sufficient  quantity  of  varnish  to 
preserve  the  brush  uniformly,  charged  in  passing  over  a  large  sur- 
face. Turpentine  and  oil  varnishes  require  less  delicacy  ;  and 
flat  brushes,  made  of  fine  soft  bristles,  are  generally  used,  or 
sometimes  ordinary  painting  brushes  are  employed,  but  they  are 
rather  harsh,  and,  owing  to  the  adhesion  of  the  varnish,  the 
hairs  are  apt  to  be  loosened,  and  come  out.  Brushes  should  al- 
ways be  kept  perfectly  soft  and  clean,  and  therefore  should  never 
be  laid  aside  when  through  work,  without  cleaning.  For  this 
purpose  turpentine  is  best  ;  the  brushes  can  either  be  washed  out 
quite  clean  in  it,  dried  on  a  cloth,  and  laid  aside,  or  the  bristles 
can  be  partially  immersed  in  turpentine  and  allowed  to  remain  in 
it  until  wanted  for  use.  Warm  water  and  soap  will  also  serve  to 
clean  the  brushes.  If,  however,  the  brushes  are  laid  aside  with- 
out being  thoroughly  cleaned,  they  will  certainly  be  ruined  by 
the  hardening  of  the  varnish. 

Varnish  pans  can  be  procured  at  any  varnish  shop.  They  are 
constructed  of  tin,  with  a  false  bottom;  the  interval  between  the 
two  bottoms  is  filled  with  sand,  which  being  heated  over  the 
fire  keeps  the  varnish  fluid,  and  it  flows  more  readily  from  the 
brush.  There  is  a  tin  handle  to  them,  and  the  false  bottom  slopes 
from  one  end  to  the  other,  which  gives  sufficient  depth  when  the 
varnish  is  low.  They  should  also  have  a  wire  fixed  across  the  top 
to  wipe  the  brush  against.  An  ordinary  preserve  jar  is  frequently 
used  for  containing  the  varnish,  and  is  sufficiently  suitable  ;  but 
it  also  should  have  a  wire  or  string  stretched  across  the  top,  for 
reducing  the  quantity  of  varnish  taken  up  by  the  brush.  The 
quantity  of  varnish  poured  into  the  jar  should  be  sufficient  to 
nearly  cover  the  hairs  of  the  brush  in  order  to  keep  it  soft.  Too 
small  a  quantity  of  varnish  is  liable  to  thicken  rapidly  by  evapo- 
ration, which  should  at  all  times  be  prevented  as  far  as  possible, 
by  keeping  the  vessel  closely  covered  when  not  in  actual  use. 

The  Various  Woods,  their  Stains  and  Finish-— The  foregoing 

rules  and  instructions  apply,  in  a  great  measure  to  all  woods  that 


52  THE   HAKDWOOD   FINISHER. 

are  to  be  finished  in  natural  colors  or  stained,  but  under  this  head 
it  is  intended  to  take  each  wood  separately,  with  regard  to  color- 
ing, and  other  matters  not  before  mentioned,  that  may  be  con- 
sidered necessary  to  insure  good  work. 

It  should  not  be  forgotten,  when  speaking  of  hard-wood  finish- 
ing, that  some  of  the  prettiest  woods  used,  are  not  "  Hard"  but 
soft  woods  among  which  may  be  mentioned  pine  of  various  kinds, 
poplar,  cedar,  red-wood,  hemlock  and  basswood.  When  some 
of  these  are  finished  in  their  natural  state  or  stained  to  imitate 
harder  woods  their  beauty  is  much  enhanced  and  they  become 
deserving  of  more  than  a  passing  notice.  Pine  when  properly 
prepared,  is  in  my  opinion  one  of  the  most  useful  as  well  as  one 
of  the  prettiest  woods  that  Nature  has  given  to  this  continent, 
and  hemlock  which  is  a  much  despised  wood,  when  properly  pre- 
pared and  finished  in  the  natural  state,  or  slightly  "  Mahogan- 
ized,"  makes  the  richest  of  panels  for  doors,  wainscot  or  other 
house  finish.  As  oak  and  mahogany  are  rivals  as  to  which  is 
the  better  and  handsomer  woods  for  finish,  I  will  commence  this 
section  with  those  woods,  giving  oak  the  preference. 

Oak. — We  have  in  this  country  over  forty  kinds  of  oak  nearly 
every  one  of  which  may  be  used  for  some  special  purpose,  those 
most  used  for  building  finish  and  for  furniture  however  are  only 
few,  among  which  are  the  white  oak,  (Querus  rulia),  rock  oak 
(Querus  primas  murticola)  and  black  oak  (Qtterus  tin  dor  is}. 
All  of  the  above  named  oaks  are  capable  of  being  handsomely 
finished,  the  white  and  black  oaks  being  the  best  and  the  red 
being  next. 

What  is  known  as  quarter-oak  is  made  by  first  sawing  the  log 
from  end  to  end  through  the  middle.  Then  each  half  is  sawed 
from  end  to  end  through  the  middle,  thus  leaving  four  quarters. 
Each  quarter  has  only  three  sides,  one  side  the  bulge  part  of  the 
log,  and  the  other  two  sides  flat  and  coming  to  an  edge.  The 
boards  are  sawed  off  the  sharp  edge,  and  each  sawing,  therefore, 
throws  off  a  board  wider  than  one  before  it.  Sawing  the  quarters 
of  the  log  in  this  manner,  lumber  possesses  that  beatiful  cross- 


THE    HARDWOOD   FINISHER.  53 

grained  figure  so  much  in  fashion  now  that  it  has  become  some- 
what of  a  craze.  This  cross-grained  material  finds  favor  in  the 
finest  furniture  and  interior  work.  The  wood  is  susceptible  of  the 
very  finest  polish,  and  the  cross-grain  produces  an  effect  made  by 
both  nature  and  the  saw,  that  is  quite  superior  to  the  art  of  the 
most  skillful  grainer.  To  effect  a  good  imitation  of  antique  oak 
lamp  black  or  Vandyke  brown  in  oil  is  applied  to  the  surface  of 
the  wood,  darkening  its  natural  hue,  but  this  is  not  by  any  means 
best  or  the  only  way,  but  answers  very  well  where  other  pro- 
cesses or  methods  are  not  available.  With  regard  to  giving  oak  an 
antique  appearance,  many  opinions  exist.  Formerly — and  prob- 
ably the  first — imitations  of  antique  oak  were  produced  by  ex- 
posing the  bare  dressed  surface  to  the  steam  of  boiling  ammonia. 
This  process,  however,  it  was  impossible  to  apply  to  casings  of  house 
interiors,  thus  leading  to  the  application  of  the  aqua  ammonia 
with  a  brush,  but,  it  is  by  repeated  application  that  the  desired  re- 
sults are  produced.  It  stains  the  wood  gray.  There  are 
finishers  who  claim  this  to  be  the  only  process  by  which 
to  imitate  Nature,  but  another  much  faster,  and  one  which 
gives  the  same  results,  is  to  use  strong  vinegar  with  iron 
filings  or  shavings  added ;  by  a  little  experimenting,  this 
can  be  made  to  suffice  with  one  coat,  depending  upon  the 
amount  of  iron  added. 

A  very  clever  imitation  of  the  general  antique  can  be  obtained 
by  staining  the  filler  with  Vandyke  brown  and  charcoal,  equal 
parts,  using  about  one  part  of  the  colored  to  four  parts  of  the 
light.  Then  there  is  another  antique  which  imitates  certain  oak 
from  the  sixteenth  century  ;  the  peculiarity  of  it  consists  in  dark 
cloud  streaks  permeating  the  wood  in  every  direction  some  of 
them  crossing  the  panels  in  a  V-shape,  others  straight  near  top 
and  bottom.  To  give  them  an  odd  appearance,  a  pair  of  panels 
•can  be  clouded  by  streaking  one  three  or  four  times  and  the  other 
once  or  twice.  These  stripes  vary  in  width  from  three  to  five 
inches.  The  wider  streaks  look  well  across  the  top  of  a  table  three 
or  four  times,  or  even  partly  across,  while  the  narrow  ones  would 


54  THE   HAKDWOOD   FINISHES. 

do  well  around  the  legs  and  across  the  styles  and  rails  of  panelled 
work.  In  putting  these  on,  they  should  be  dark  in  the  centre 
and  blend  out  at  the  edges.  This  is  done  with  an  automatic 
paint  burner,  allowing  the  flames  to  scorch  the  wood  nearly 
black ;  but  care  must  be  taken  not  to  char  it.  After  the  work  is 
all  streaked  the  wood  is  filled  with  filler  stained  with  burnt  umber 
mixed  as  for  black  walnut. 

Care  must  be  taken  to  have  the  filler  stained  to  the  proper  tint, 
and  in  applying  correctly.  By  following  the  rules  given  under 
the  head  "Filling"  the  operator  should  have  no  trouble  in  mak- 
ing good  work,  and  we  here  repeat  the  instruction. 

"After  enough  surface  has  been  covered  with  the  filler,  so  that 
what  has  been  first  applied  begins  to  flatten,  the  process  of  wip- 
ing should  immediately  begin,  using  for  that  purpose  either  a  rag 
or  a  handful  of  waste  or  excelsior.  If  the  oak  is  very  open- 
grained,  waste  is  preferable.  With  a  piece  of  this  that  has  pre- 
viously been  used  and  is  pretty  well  supplied  with  filler,  rub 
crosswise  of  the  grain,  rather  rubbing  it  into  the  grain  than  wip- 
ing it  off.  After  the  whole  surface  has  been  gone  over  in  this 
way,  take  a  clean  piece  of  waste  or  rag  (never  use  excelsior  for 
wiping  clean)  and  wipe  the  surface  perfectly  clean  and  free  from 
filler,  using  a  wooden  pick,  the  point  of  which  has  been  covered 
with  a  rag  or  waste  to  clean  out  the  corners,  beads,  etc.  It  is 
well  to  give  these  picks  some  attention,  as  a  person  once  accus- 
tomed to  certain  tools  can  accomplish  more  and  better  work  than 
with  tools  that  feel  strange  in  his  hands;  therefore,  each  finisher 
should  furnish  his  own  pick.  As  to  their  construction,  these  are 
best  made  from  second-growth  hickory,  which  can  be  procured 
from  any  carriage  repair  shop,  such  as  old  spokes,  broken  felloes, 
etc.  They  are  made  eight  inches  in  length,  half  inch  oval  at  one 
end  and  tapering  down  to  the  point  at  the  other.  Sharpen  the 
oval  end  like  a  coal  chisel,  then  smooth  with  sandpaper,  which 
should  also  be  used  to  sharpen  the  tool  when  the  same  becomes 
worn  dull. 

This  picking  out  of  the  filler  from  beads,  etc. ,  can  be  acceler- 


THE   HARDWOOD   FINISHER.  55 

ated  by  the  use  of  a  picking  brush  manufactured  especially  for 
that  purpose,  but  it  is  not  advisable  to  use  this  on  very  coarse- 
grained oak,  as  it  scrubs  the  filler  out  of  the  pores. 

There  are  several  fillers  used  which  do  not  require  this  picking 
and  scrubbing.  One  is  a  liquid  filler  used  chiefly  for  carriage 
finishing ;  but  it  can  be  used  successfully  on  butternut,  bird's-eye 
maple,  curly  maple,  satinwood,  hickory,  etc.  It  is  made  from 
gum  and  oil.  Another  is  a  filler  made  from  finely-ground  pumice 
stone,  mixed  as  other  fillers.  It  is  applied  with  a  brush,  and 
must  be  left  to  dry  at  least  twenty-four  hours ;  it  is  then  sand- 
papered smooth,  when  an  oil  varnish  is  applied,  rendering  it  com- 
pletely transparent.  This  last  can  be  used  only  upon  light  wood. 

It  is  a  well-established  fact  that  nearly  all  the  oaks  grow  dark 
with  age;  many  of  them  assume  an  entirely  different  shade  from 
that  which  they  have  when  new  and  first  cut.  For  instance,  light 
oak,  when  new,  is  of  a  sort  of  cream  color ;  when  aged  in  a  dry 
atmosphere,  it  will  assume  a  reddish  brown,  and  in  a  damp  at- 
mosphere it  will  turn  a  gray  with  a  blue  tinge  and  eventually  be- 
come brown.  Cherry  will  turn  from  a  light  salmon  to  a  maroon, 
and  the  same  with  mahogany.  It  has  not  been  so  long  since 
mahogany  and  cherry  were  antiquated  by  being  colored  dark 
with  stains  or  other  coloring  material,  while,  at  the  same  time, 
oak  was  finished  light.  At  present  this  manner  of  finishing  is 
entirely  reversed.  Cherry,  mahogany  and  all  dark  woods  are 
finished  as  light  as  possible,  while  oak  and  ash,  especially  black 
ash,  are  finished  antique. 

Another  method  of  rendering  new  oak  wainscoting  and 
other  oak  work  dark,  and  give  it  an  antique  appearance  is 
given. 

A  correspondent  in  the  English  Mechanic  gives  the  following 
process  of  treatment,  which  he  considers  the  best,  after  trying 
the  various  other  processes  used  by  builders  and  cabinet-makers 
to  darken  woods :  ' '  Oak  is  fumigated  by  liquid  ammonia,  strength 
880°,  which  may  be  bought  at  any  wholesale  chemist's  at  53.  a 
gallon.  The  wood  should  be  placed  in  a  dark  and  air-tight  room. 


56  THE   HARDWOOD   FINISHER. 

(in  a  big  packing  case,  if  you  like  !),  and  half  a  pint  or  so  of 
ammonia  poured  into  a  soup  plate,  and  placed  upon  the  ground 
in  the  center  of  the  compartment.  This  done,  shut  the  entrance, 
and  secure  any  cracks,  if  any,  by  pasted  slips  of  paper.  Re- 
member that  the  ammonia  does  not  touch  the  oak,  but  the  gas 
that  comes  from  it  acts  in  a  wondrous  manner  upon  the  tannic 
acid  in  that  wood,  and  browns  it  so  deeply  that  a  shaving  or  two 
may  actually  be  taken  off  without  removing  the  color.  The 
depth  of  shade  will  entirely  depend  upon  the  quantity  of  ammonia 
used  and  the  time  the  wood  is  exposed.  Try  an  odd  bit  first  ex- 
perimentally, and  then  use  your  own  judgment." 

Short  pieces  of  stuff  may  be  so  treated  by  using  an  air-tight 
box.  The  box  ready,  a  flat  dish  or  plate  of  strong  ammonia 
should  be  placed  in  the  bottom,  so  that  the  fumes  will  rise  and 
surround  the  object.  All  that  is  now  necessary  is  to  place  the 
article  in  the  box,  nailing  up  as  close  as  possible  and  await  re- 
sults. Ten  hours  exposure  using  strong  ammonia,  should  give  a 
good  color;  if  not  dark  enough  let  it  remain  longer,  bearing  in 
mind,  however,  that  the  wood  will  present  no  noticeable  change 
until  oiled  or  brought  in  contact  with  a  wet  substance  such  as 
shellac.  It  is  well,  therefore,  to  note  the  progress  by  touching 
the  wood  with  the  wet  finger  when  it  will  show  at  once  the  stage 
it  has  reached. 

There  could  be  no  better  method  devised  to  stain  oak  than  this 
when  practicable,  and  in  adopting  it  we  simply  anticipate  nature 
which  in  time  through  the  action  of  the  ammonia  of  the  atmos- 
phere would  present  the  same  result.  Mahogany  may  also  be 
treated  similarly  with  success. 

Here  is  another  method  of  making  antique  oak,  and  I  might 
add,  that  white,  and  black  ash,  and  chestnut,  similarly  treated, 
will  give  a  fair  imitation  of  antique  oak :  The  job  should  be 
made  of  hard  wood,  with  as  full  an  open  grain  as  possible  to  se- 
cure a  fine  effect.  Sandpaper  this  and  clean  off.  Then  prepare 
a  priming  made  of  i  part  japan,  i  part  raw  linseed  oil  and  i  part 
rubbing  varnish.  Drop  into  y2  gallon  of  the  liquid  i  pound  of 


THE   HARDWOOD   FINISHER.  57 

commercial  corn  starch,  such  as  is  used  for  culinary  purposes. 
Next  take  some  good,  dry,  burnt  Turkish  umber,  and  add  about 
%  pound  of  this  to  the  starch.  Apply  to  the  job  a  good  flowing 
coat  of  this  priming.  Let  stand  until  it  is  set  and  has  soaked 
well  into  the  grain,  and  then  take  a  broad  putty  knife  and  stick 
it  into  the  grain,  working  the  knife  crosswise  of  the  grain.  Again 
let  stand  a  little  while,  and  then  wipe  with  rags;  especially  clean 
out  all  the  corners,  and  get  the  job  into  as  good  condition  as  pos- 
sible as  regards  having  the  grain  well  filled. 

Upon  the  completion  of  the  operation  above  described  it  will 
be  found  that  the  open  grain  has  absorbed  the  starch  and  umber, 
and  that  these  portions  now  show  the  dark  shade  suggestive  of 
age,  while  all  the  rest  of  the  surface  is  also  slightly  darkened. 

When  again  perfectly  dry,  give  one  coat  of  rubbing  varnish, 
prepared  by  adding  to  it  ^  pound  of  starch  to  each  gallon  of 
varnish.  This  coat  should  be  flowed  on  freely  as  a  medium  coat 
of  rubbing  varnish,  but  be  careful  not  to  have  runs  of  sags.  This 
ought  to  completely  fill  the  wood,  after  which  proceed  to  var- 
nish, rub  and  finish  the  job  in  the  usual  manner.  To  produce  a 
natural  oak  finish,  follow  precisely  the  same  course  as  above  de- 
scribed, with  the  single  exception  of  omitting  the  umber.  This 
will  leave  the  wood  in  its  natural  color. 

Some  of  the  most  attractive  work  in  this  line,  however,  is  ef- 
fected by  simply  spreading  on  the  surface  of  the  material  a  con- 
centrated solution  of  permanganate  of  potash,  this  being  allowed 
to  act  until  the  desired  shade  is  obtained.  Five  minutes  suffice 
ordinarily  to  give  a  good  color,  a  few  trials  indicating  the  proper 
proportions.  The  substance  named  is  decomposed  by  the  vege- 
table fibre  with  the  precipitation  of  brown  peroxide  of  man- 
ganese, which  the  influence  of  the  potash,  at  the  same  time  set 
free  fixes  in  a  durable  manner  on  the  fibres.  When  the  action  is 
terminated,  the  wood  is  carefully  washed  with  water,  dried,  then 
oiled  and  polished  in  the  usual  manner.  The  effect  produced  by 
this  process  in  several  woods  is  really  remarkable.  On  the 
cherry  especially  it  develops  a  beautiful  red  color  which  well 


58  THE   HARDWOOD    FINISHER. 

resists  the  action  of  air  and  light,  and  on  the  other  woods  it  has  a 
very  pleasing  and  natural  effect. 

Along  with  the  foregoing  may  be  added  the  following  stains  for 
oak  :  add  to  a  quart  of  water  2  ounces  each  of  potash  and  pearl- 
ash.  This  is  a  very  good  stain,  but  it  should  be  used  carefully 
as  it  blisters  the  hands  and  softens  brushes.  The  stain  may  be 
made  lighter  by  adding  more  water. 

Other  Oak  StairiSi — To  darken  the  color  of  oak  any  of  the 
following  may  be  used  : 

Liquid  ammonia  laid  on  evenly  with  a  rag  or  brush  will 
deepen  the  color  immediately,  and  it  will  not  fade,  this  being  an 
artificial  production  of  result  produced  naturally  by  age. 

Bichromate  of  potash,  dissolved  in  cold  water,  and  applied 
with  a  brush,  will  produce  a  similar  result. 

A  decoction  of  green  walnut-shell  will  bring  new  oak  to  any 
shade  or  nearly  black. 

Another^ — To  two  quarts  of  boiled  oil ;  half  a  pound  of  ground 
umber,  mixed  in  oil  by  colorman  ;  one  pint  of  liquid  driers,  stir- 
red in  ;  one  pint  of  turpentine ;  mix.  After  clean  ing  and  planing 
your  boards,  lay  this  on  with  the  grain  of  the  wood.  If  required 
lighter  add  naphtha  till  the  required  shade  is  attained ;  it  darkens 
with  age.  Give  it  twelve'hours  to  dry  ;  then  varnish  with  wood 
varnish,  or  use  only  beeswax  and  turpentine.  The  result  is  good 
in  time,  but  slower  than  varnish. 

MahoganVi — (Svietened.} — The  tree  has  a  darkish-brown  bark 
and  a  reddish-brown,  coarsely  fibred,  streaky,  hard  wood.  The 
tree  grows  to  the  height  of  35  metres,  and  is  pretty  strong.  The 
chief  varieties  are  the  common  mahogany,  with  a  very  hard,  very 
durable  wood,  which  is  never  attacked  by  worms,  and  is  excel- 
lent for  ship-building ;  but  its  capability  for  taking  a  fine  polish 
is  its  chief  recommendation.  Mahagoni  Haiti,  Mahagoni  Jam- 
aika,  Mahagoni  Havanna  are  the  other  chief  kinds. 

Thirty-five  years  ago  mahogany  was  commercially  designated  as 
"St.  Domingo,"  from  the  island  of  St.  Domingo,  and  "Bay- 
wood,"  or  "Bay  Mahogany,"  from  the  vicinity  of  the  Bay  of 


THE   HAEDWOOD   FINISHER.  59 

Honduras,  in  Central  America.  The  Central  American  wood 
was  condemned  as  being  too  soft,  of  light  weight,  straight- 
grained  and  characterless.  In  recent  years  it  has  ceased  coming 
to  this  market,  but  one  cargo  having  arrived  at  the  port  of  New 
York  (the  largest  mahogany  market  in  the  world)  in  six  years. 
St.  Domingo  mahogany  likewise  exists  only  in  name,  the  orig- 
inal growth  having  long  since  been  utilized  ;  only  the  small  and 
stunted  second  growth  being  received  here  now.  The  individual 
logs  of  great  size  and  best  quality  are  so  seldom  found  as  to 
come  within  the  category  of  "  rare  specimens.  " 

The  Central  American  wood  having  been  debarred  by  reason 
of  softness,  and  the  St.  Domingo  being  virtually  extinct,  it  be- 
came a  matter  of  discovery  where  else  to  find  this  wood.  From 
the  island  of  Cuba  a  considerable  quantity  of  the  smaller  sizes,of 
good  texture  and  hard,  suitable  for  small  work,  is  obtained  ;  but 
it  is  from  the  vast  forest  of  Mexico  that  the  great  markets  of  the 
world  are  now  supplied,  not  alone  with  the  bulk  of  the  best 
mahogany,  but  much  that  is  soft,  though  these  soft  grades  are 
superior  to  the  Bayvvood  of  olden  times  from  Central  America. 

With,  perhaps  the  exception  of  our  oaks,  no  wood  possesses  like 
advantages  of  combined  soundness,  large  size,  durability,  beauty 
of  color  and  richness  of  figure.  So,  when  compared  with  other 
woods,  mahogany  costs  no  more  to  work  and  stands  better  than 
any  other — the  only  point  to  weigh  against  this  last  great  feature 
is  the  slight  difference  in  the  first  cost  of  the  wood  in  the  rough  • 
but  if  mahogany  stands  better  and  longer,  and  needs  no  atten- 
tion afterward,  surely  the  sole  advantage  of  less  cost  at  first 
which  any  other  wood  may  possess  is  overcome. 

But  another  merit,  equal  to  any  thus  far  mentioned,  is  the 
warmth  in  its  color  and  the  glory  in  the  figure  of  this  beautiful 
wood.  The  air  of  elegance,  artistic  effect  and  gentle  breeding  it 
imparts  to  all  its  surroundings,  its  joy  and  life — all  these  cannot  be 
measured  by  a  few  cents  a  square  foot.  Its  growing  splendor 
with  age  that  gives  increasing  satisfaction  may  safely  be  contrasted 
with  the  lameness  of  other  woods,  which,  though  pleasing  at  first, 


60  THE   HARDWOOD    FINISHER. 

deteriorate  rather  than  improve.  Does  not  mahogany  add  to  the 
value  of  a  private  residence  or  public  building?  I  believe  it 
does  ;  and  it  is  this  very  fact  that  encourages  so  much  imitation  in 
housefinishing  and  in  furniture. 

When  the  real  wood  is  used,  but  little  more  is  necessary  than 
to  fill  and  varnish  or  polish,  as  it  cannot  be  much  improved  upon. 
Sometimes,  however,  it  may  be  deemed  proper  to  darken  it  some- 
what to  take  away  the  reddish  hue  that  newly  wrought  mahogany 
presents,  and  this  can  best  be  done  by  darkening  the  filler,  to 
suit  the  taste,  trying  the  mixture  first  on  a  piece  of  the  dressed 
stuff,  until  the  desired  shade  is  obtained,  staining  the  varnish  or 
polish  with  dragon's-blood  or  other  suitable  dyes,  will  also 
accomplish  the  desired  end. 

Staining  by  the  fumes  of  ammonia  will  probably  give  the  best 
results,  as  almost  any  tinge  can  be  given  the  work  from  the  new- 
ness of  youth,  to  the  mellowness  of  extreme  age.  This  method 
is  considered  the  best  for  imparting  to  mahogany  the  appearance 
of  age,  and  for  those  wishing  to  avail  themselves  of  an  easy, 
clean  and  certain  means  of  gaining  the  result,  fumigating  offers 
no  serious  obstacle  to  its  accomplishment,  the  articles  necessary 
being  easy  of  acquirement,  and  at  small  expense. 

I  give  a  number  of  receipts  for  making  stains  to  imitate  mahog- 
any. These  stains  may  be  applied  to  cherry,  black  birch, 
white  wood,  basswood,  pine  or  sycamore,  with  pretty  fair  results. 
The  best  of  these  enumerated  are  cherry,  birch  and  pine,  as  from 
these  woods  the  best  results  are  obtainable  : 

A  good  imitation  of  and  substitute  for  mahogany,  useful  in  fine 
manufactures,  is  made  by  procuring  any  species  of  close  grained 
wood,  such  as  cherry,  beech  or  birch,  and  properly  preparing  it 
smooth  and  clean.  Then  rub  with  diluted  nitric  acid,  which 
prepares  it  for  the  materials  subsequently  to  be  applied.  These 
consist  of  one  and  a  half  ounces  of  dragon's-blood,  dissolved  in  a 
pint  of  spirits  of  wine,  and  one-third  of  that  quantity  of  carbonate 
of  soda,  mixed  together  and  filtered,  the  liquid  in  this  state  being 
rubbed,  or  rather,  laid  upon  the  wood  with  a  soft  brush.  This 


THE   HARDWOOD   FINISHER.  61 

process  is  repeated  with  very  little  alteration,  and  in  a  short  inter- 
val the  wood  possesses  all  the  external  appearance  of  mahogany. 

For  other  stains  the  following  are  given :  Two  ounces  of  drag- 
on's blood  dissolved  in  one  quart  of  rectified  spirits  of  wine,  well 
shaken;  or  raw  sienna  in  beer,  with  burnt  sienna  to  give  the  re- 
quired tone;  for  darker  stains  boil  a  half-pound  of  madder  and  two 
ounces  of  log-wood  chips  in  one  gallon  of  water  and  brush  the  de- 
coction while  hot  over  the  wood.  When  dry  paint  with  a  solu- 
tion of  two  ounces  of  potash  in  one  quart  of  water.  A  solution  of 
permanganate  of  potash  forms  a  rapid  and  excellent  brown  stain. 

For  the  color  of  new  mahogany,  see  Cherry  Stains. 

A  decoction  of  logwood  chips,  made  by  boiling  in  a  closely- 
covered  vessel  one  part  of  the  chips  in  two  parts  water  for  two 
hours  ;  then  strain  through  a  muslin  cloth.  Should  this  be  re- 
quired dark,  as  for  antique  mahogany,  condense  by  a  gentle  heat. 

Another. — For  the  red  generally  called  mahogany,  add  to  a 
strong  decoction  of  logwood  chips  a  small  quantity  of  chloride  of 
tin.  Or  add  to  the  decoction  a  trifle  cosine.  Apply  two  coats. 

Another. — Add  to  archil  (orchil)  sufficient  cosine  to  produce  a 
natural  color. 

Another. — Dilute  alizarin-paste  to  the  proper  consistency  and 
color. 

Another. — To  produce  the  red  in  oil,  apply  two  coats  of  crim- 
son or  rose-lake  diluted  with  turps  and  japan. 

To  darken  mahogany,  apply  a  weak  solution  of  bichromate  of 
potash  in  water.  Apply  successive  coats,  allowing  each  to  dry, 
until  the  required  shade  is  secured. 

Half  a  pound  of  madder,  two  ounces  of  logwood  chips  boiled  in 
a  gallon  of  water;  brush  over  the  wood  while  hot.  When  dry,  go 
over  the  whole  with  pearl-ash  solution,  two  drachms  to  a  quart  of 
water.  Size  and  polish.  If  a  redder  shade  be  required,  it  can  be 
produced  by  smearing  the  surface  with  a  strong  solution  perman- 
ganate of  potash,  which  is  left  on  for  a  longer  or  shorter  time,  ac- 
cording to  the  shade  required  ;  in  most  cases,  five  minutes  will  be 


62  THE    HARDWOOD   FINISHER. 

enough.  The  wood  is  then  carefully  washed,  dried  and  pol- 
ished in  the  ordinary  way. 

The  reader  will  understand  that  the  mahogany  stains  mentioned 
are  mostly  intended  for  staining  inferior  woods  to  imitate  mahog- 
any, for  as  mentioned  before  only  in  isolated  cases,  will  the 
genuine  wood  require  to  be  stained —  "good  wine  needeth  no 
bush."— 

Cherry- — (Prunus  cerasus.) — This  is  a  fine  grained  wood, 
tough  and  light,  is  capable  of  taking  the  very  finest  finish.  Is 
harder  than  Baywood,  and  is  the  nearest  approach  in  color,  grain 
and  texture,  to  mahogany  than  any  other  native  wood. 

One  of  the  best  methods  for  making  cherry  look  like  mahogany 
is  to  have  the  wood  rubbed  with  diluted  nitre  acid,  which  pre- 
pares it  for  the  materials  subsequently  applied.  Afterwards  to  a 
filtered  mixture  of  one  ounce  and  a  half  of  dragon's  blood  dis- 
solved in  a  pint  of  spirits  of  wine  is  added  one-third  that  quantity 
of  carbonate  of  soda.  The  whole  constituting  a  very  thin  liquid 
is  brushed  with  a  soft  brush  over  the  wood.  This  process  is  re- 
peated with  very  little  alteration,  and  in  a  short  interval  of  time 
the  wood  assumes  the  external  appearance  of  mahogany.  If  the 
composition  has  been  properly  made  the  surface  will  resemble  an 
artificial  mirror  and  should  this  brilliancy  ever  decline  it  may  be 
restored  by  rubbing  the  surface  with  a  little  cold  drawn  linseed 
oil. 

When  cherry  is  nicely  filled  and  rubbed  well  down  and  not 
varnished,  it  has  a  soft  glow  not  possessed  by  any  other,  and  has 
none  of  those  distortions  of  grain  that  are  so  unpleasant  in  ma- 
hogany. The  timber  is  chosen  from  the  wild  cherry,  which  in 
New  England  and  the  North  generally  does  not  usually  grow  to  a 
girth  of  more  than  20  inches,  but  in  some  of  the  Western  States 
and  in  the  South  frequently  attains  a  diameter  of  24  inches.  The 
domestic  fruit  cherry  gives  some  good  specimens  of  small  timber, 
but  as  the  tree  is  rarely  sacrificed  until  it  is  past  bearing  and  is  de- 
cayed, this  source  of  supply  is  precarious.  The  facility  with  which 
cherry  can  be  worked  makes  it  a  favorite  with  the  cabinet-maker 


THE   HARDWOOD   FINISHER.  63 

and  the  house  joiner;  and  it  also  possesses  the  quality  of  "stay- 
ing where  it  is  put,"  and  that  is  more  than  can  be  said  of  many 
of  the  hard  woods. 

I  give  below  several  stains  for  making  pine  and  other  suitable 
woods  to  have  an  appearance  of  cherry. 

1.  To  prepare  this  color  in  water  stain,  boil  in  a  gallon  of  water 
one  pound  of  Spanish  annotto  and  one  ounce  of  concentrated  lye 
(potash).     Should  this  not  be  deep  enough,  allow  the  water  to 
evaporate  by  a  gentle  heat.     The  stain  can  also  be  darkened  by 
adding  gamboge  previously  dissolved  in  a  weak  potash  solution. 

2.  Gamboge  in  oil,  diluted  with  turpentine,  and  a  little  japan 
added  as  a  siccative.     This  produces  the  same  color  in  oil  as  the 
former  in  water  stain,  and  can  be  deepened  with  dragon's  blood 
in  oil  or  finely-ground  burnt  sienna  in  oil. 

3.  Mix  together,  by  stirring,  i  quart  of  spirits  of  turpentine,  i 
pint  of  varnish,  and  i  Ib.  of  dry  burnt  sienna;  apply  with  a  brush 
and  after  it  has  been  on  about  five  minutes  wipe  it  off  with  rags. 
This  stain  takes  about  12  hours  to  dry. 

4.  Take  i  quart  alcohol,  2  ozs.  of  dragon's  blood ;  pulverize 
the  latter  along  with  %  oz.  of  alkanet  root;  mix  and  let  stand   in 
a  warm  place  a  couple  of  days.     Shake  frequently  in  the  mean- 
time.    Apply  with  a  sponge  or  brush.     Two  or  three  coats  may 
be  required.     This  makes  a  fine  stain. 

There  are  a  number  of  other  compounds,  but  it  is  considered 
that  the  above  are  ample  for  all  ordinary  purposes.  When  stains 
are  wanted  in  large  quantities  it  is  much  better  to  purchase  them,  as 
a  number  of  excellent  mixtures  are  now  obtainable,  among  which 
may  be  mentioned  those  of  the  Chilton  Mfg.  Co.,  New  York,  who 
make  fine  ebony,  mahogany  and  cherry  stains.  Aniline  stain  may 
be  purchased  at  any  color  shop. 

Ash  {Fraxinus  excelsior.}  This  wood  is  now  used  very  much 
by  cabinet  makers  and  house  joiners  in  place  of  oak,  and  I  have 
often  seen  furniture  palmed  off,  to  unsuspecting  customers  as  an- 
tique oak  and  in  one  instance  I  know  of  an  architect  who  speci- 
fied oak,  and  who  "passed"  a  mixture  of  white  and  black  ash,  as 


64  THE    HAKDWOOD    FINISHER. 

oak,  either  knowingly  or  otherwise.  I  am  not  sure  that  the  owners 
in  either  case  lost  anything,  for  good  sound  Canadian  ash,  is  de- 
cidedly better  than  dosey  red  oak. 

In  finishing  ash,  either  black  or  white,  the  same  methods  are 
adopted  as  for  finishing  oak  and  similar  processes  will  give  simi- 
lar results.  Ingenious  stainers  and  finishes  can  make  ash  resemble 
oak  wainscot,  in  vein  and  color  so  correctly  that  it  is  almost  im- 
possible for  the  most  experienced  connoisseur  to  distinguish  the 
genuine  from  the  spurious.  In  order  to  do  this  some  finishers 
make  a  commencement  by  sketching  out,  upon  certain  parts  of 
the  ash  exterior,  the  requisite  white  veins,  by  means  of  a  camel- 
hair  pencil,  with  white  stain;  that  done,  they  coat  the  veins  with 
thin  varnish,  and  then  darken  the  general  ground,  dealing  care- 
fully throughout  the  entire  process  with  the  veined  portions. 
Others  stain  and  embody,  i.  e.  French  polish — the  ash  with  the 
ordinary  preparation,  after  which  they  pursue  an  operative  course 
termed  "champing"  ;  that  is,  scratching  fancifully,  so  as  to  form 
the  veins,  upon  different  parts  of  the  coated  surface,  before  it  gets 
time  to  harden,  with  a  saturated  rag.  The  former  process  is, 
however,  the  most  suitable  of  the  two. 

Birchi  (Betula  Nigra.)  or  Canadian  birch  is  superior  to  all 
other  birches  for  constructive  purposes  and  when  properly  fin- 
ished has  a  fine  quiet  refined  look  that  commands  itself  to  all  lov- 
ers of  domestic  woods.  So  popular  has  the  use  of  black  birch  be- 
come within  the  last  ten  years,  that  the  price  of  good  grades  has 
advanced  from  $8  per  M  feet,  in  1880  to  $100  per  M  feet, in  1892. 

Black  birch  is  a  close-grained,  handsome  wood,  and  can  be 
easily  stained  to  resemble  walnut  exactly.  It  is  just  as  easy  to 
work,  and  is  suitable  for  nearly,  if  not  all,  the  purposes  to 
which  walnut  is  at  present  applied.  Birch  is  much  the  same 
color  as  cherry,  but  the  latter  wood  is  now  scarce,  and  conse- 
quently dear.  When  properly  stained  it  is  almost  impossible  to 
distinguish  the  difference  between  it  and  walnut,  as  it  is  susceptible 
of  a  beautiful  polish,  equal  to  any  wood  now  used  in  the  manu- 
facture of  furniture,  and  inside  finishings. 


THE   HARDWOOD    FINISHER.  65 

There  is  a  species  of  bird's-eye  birch,  but  it  is  very  scarce. 
An  evidence  of  the  weight  and  solidity  of  the  wood  is  the  fact 
that  it  will  sink  after  being  a  few  days  on  the  water.  It  also 
possesses  the  quality  of  durability  in  a  pre-eminent  degree. 

Birch  is  generally  finished  the  same  as  cherry,  and  direc- 
tions given  under  that  head  will  apply  here  also. 

Pjng, — (Pi/ins  Strobus],  If  oak  is  the  king  of  woods,  pine  is 
most  assuredly  "  president,"  for  it  is  at  once  the  most  useful  and 
the  most  democratic  of  woods.  It  is  found  in  the  halls  of  the 
great  and  powerful,  and  in  the  cottage  of  the  most  humble 
among  us.  It  is  strong  and  vigorous,  plain  or  ornamental  and  is 
not  out  of  place  either  in  the  backwoodsman's  cabin  or  in  the 
stately  cathedral,  and  like  a  true  man  of  the  world,  it  adapts 
,itself  to  every  condition  that  circumstances  may  place  it  in. 

Pine  can  be  made  to  look  like  any  known  wood,  but  is  at  its 
best  when  left  natural  and  finished  in  clear  shellac.  There  is  no 
wood  grows,  that  will  convey  so  cheerful  a  feeling  to  the 
beholder  as  yellow  or  white  pine  finished  in  a  natural  state. 
Next  to  being  finished  in  a  natural  state,  is  to  imitate  mahogany 
or  light  cherry  which  coloring  it  takes  readily. 

Where  the  pine — of  any  kind — is  to  be  either  stained  or  left 
natural,  it  should  be  "  quarter  sawed  "  as  it  will  show  a  finer  grain 
shrink  less,  and  last  longer.  The  softness  of  its  texture  and 
its  susceptibility  to  injury  may  have  had  some  influence 
in  preventing  its  general  use  for  ornamental  purposes,  but 
the  wood  can  be  "filled,"  so  that  much  of  this  objection  is 
removed.  Its  pure  white  color — white  as  compared  with  other 
woods — recommends  it  for  purposes  for  which  holly  has  been 
heretofore  used  ;  and  the  size  of  the  timber  from  which  clear 
boards  may  be  cut  is  greatly  in  its  favor,  boards  of  a  width  of 
sixteen,  and  even  twenty  inches  being  not  uncommon,  with  no 
shade  of  distinction  between  sap  wood  and  heart,  and  only  the 
faintest  perceptible  grain. 

Some    specimens    lately    examined    show  a  greatly  enhanced 
beauty  by  very  simple  treatment — the  filling  with  warm  shellac 
5 


66  THE   HARDWOOD   FINISHER. 

varnish,  bleached  shellac  in  alcohol,  applied  with  a  brush  while 
warm.  Several  coats  are  given,  the  last  coat  being  rubbed  with 
pumice  and  rotton  stone,  moistened  with  water,  not  oil.  A 
finish  of  a  flowing  coat  of  copal  varnish  completes  the  prepara- 
tion. Thus  treated,  the  wood  is  of  a  faint  creamy  tint,  with  an 
appearance  of  semi-transparency.  Beautiful  gradations  of  tone 
were  obtained  by  panels  of  this  prepared  pine. 

Most  of  the  stains  given  under  previous  heads,  are  applicable 
to  pine,  I  add,  however  a  few  more,  so  that  the  workmen  may 
have  a  number  of  recipes  to  draw  from  : 

For  Walnut  No.  i. — Dissolve  by  boiling  one  part  each  of 
Epson  salt  and  permanganate  of  potash  in  about  twenty-five  parts 
of  water.  This  stain  may  be  improved  by  adding  a  little  cosine, 
and  it  works  best  when  applied  hot. 

2.  Catechu  broken  into  crumbs  and  boiled  in  about  twice  its 
bulk  of  water  until  dissolved.     To  darken  to  the. required  depth, 
add    bichromate    of  potash  previously  dissolved  in  about  eight 
times  its  equivalent  of  water.     If  the  deep  yellok  shade  peculiar 
to   the   Southern  walnut   be   required,  add  yellow  chromate  of 
potash.     For  the  reddish  shade  of  the  Northern  wood,  add  more 
cosine. 

3.  For  oil  stain,   use   Vandyke  brown   toned   up   with  the 
siennas,  the  colors  being  strictly  pure  and  finely  ground  in  oil, 
and  diluted  with  turpentine  and  a  small  amount  of  japan. 

.  4.  Burnt  Turkey  umber  mixed  in  the  same  way  as  the 
former. 

5.  Mix  together,  by  stirring,  i  quart  spirits  of  turpentine,  i 
pint  asphaltum  varnish,  i  pint  of  japan,  i  Ib.  dry  burnt  umber,  i 
Ib.  dry  Venetian  red  ;  apply  with  a  brush.     This  stain  is  trans- 
parent, and  allows  the  grain  of  the  wood  to  show  through. 

6.  Boil  \y?  ounces  washing  soda,  and  ^  ounce  bichromate 
of  potash,  in  i  quart  of  water;   add  2^  ounces  Vandyke  brown. 
This  stain  may  be  used  either  hot  or  cold. 

7.  With   a  brush  apply  a  thin  solution  of  permanganate  of 


THE    HARDWOOD   FINISHER.  67 

potassa  in  water,  until  the  desired  color  is  produced,  allowing 
each  coat  to  dry  before  another  is  applied. 

For  Mahogany  or  Cherry  No.  i.  For  mahogany,  use  a  pint 
of  turpentine  and  an  ounce  of  color  known  as  dragon's  blood. 
Dissolve  and  shake  well  before  applying.  For  ebony,  use  hot 
liquor  from  logwood  chips,  and  after  dry  apply  a  coat  of  tincture 
of  steel.  For  walnut,  use  two  ounces  of  washing  soda,  darkened 
with  Vandyke  brown  in  water.  Add  two  ounces  of  bichromate 
of  potash  in  pint  and  a  half  of  water. 

2.  Mix  together,  by  stirring,  i  quart  of  spirits  of  turpentine, 
i  pint  of  varnish,  and   i  Ib.  of  dry  burnt  sienna  ;    apply  with  a 
brush,  and  after  it  has  been  on  about  five  minutes  wipe  it  off 
with  rags.     This  stain  takes  about  12  hours  to  dry. 

3.  Take  i  quart  alcohol,  2  ozs.  of  dragon's-blood  ;  pulverize 
the  latter  along  with  ^  oz.  of  alkanet  root  ;  mix,  and  let  stand 
in    a    warm    place  a  couple  of  days.     Shake  frequently  in  the 
meantime.     Apply  with  a  sponge  or  brush.     Two  or  three  coats 
may  be  required.     This  makes  a  fine  stain. 

For  Rosewood  No.  i.  Mix  in  a  bottle  ^  Ib.  of  extract  of  log- 
wood, i  oz.  salts  of  tartar,  and  i  pint  of  water  ;  in  another 
bottle,  put  i  Ib.  of  old  iron  in  small  pieces,  and  i  pint  of  vine- 
gar, which,  after  standing  twenty-four  hours,  will  be  ready  for 
use  ;  make  a  hard  stiff  brush  with  a  piece  of  rattan  sharpened  at 
one  end  in  a  wedge  shape,  pounding  it  so  as  to  separate  the  fibre. 
Mix  in  i  pint  of  varnish,  *^  Ib.  of  finely-powdered  rose-pink. 
The  materials  are  now  ready,  and  the  first  thing  in  the  process  is 
to  stain  the  wood  with  the  logwood  stain  ;  give  two  coats  of  this, 
allowing  the  first  to  become  nearly  dry  before  applying  the 
second;  then  dip  the  rattan  brush  in  the  vinegar,  and  with  it 
form  the  grain,  after  which  give  the  work  a  coat  of  the  varnish 
and  rose  pink.  There  can  be  no  definite  directions  given  for 
graining,  except  to  study  the  natural  wood  and  imitate  it  as  near 
as  possible.  With  the  above  materials  skilfully  applied,  any 
common  wood  can  be  made  to  resemble  rosewood  so  nearly  that 
it  will  take  a  good  judge  to  distinguish  the  difference. 


68  THE   HARDWOOD   FINISHER. 

2.  Boil  i  Ib.  of  logwood  in  i  gallon  of  water,  add  a  double 
handful  of  walnut  shell,  boil  the  whole  again,  strain  the  liquor 
and  add  to  it  i  pint  of  the  best  vinegar.  It  is  then  ready  for 
use.  Apply  it  boiling  hot,  and  when  the  wood  is  dry,  form  red 
veins  in  imitation  of  the  grain  of  rosewood  with  a  brush  dipped 
in  the  following  solution  :  Nitric  acid,  i  pint  ;  metallic  tin,  i 
oz.;  sal  ammoniac,  i  oz.  Mix  and  set  aside  to  dissolve,  occa- 
sionally shaking.  If  carefully  executed  it  will  give  the  appear- 
ance of  dark  rosewood. 

For  surface  stains  the  following  are  sometimes  used  :  The 
colors  are  all  to  be  mixed  with  very  thin  glue  size,  laid  on  warm 
with  a  soft  woollen  material,  and  the  wood  wiped  dry  after 
application.  All  the  colors  used  is  staining  should  be  well  pul- 
verized, and  before  use  the  liquid  should  be  strained. 

Imitation  Oak  Stain, — Equal  parts  burnt  umber  and  brown 
ochre. 

Imitation  Mahogany  Stain-— One  part  Venetian  red,  and  two 
parts  yellow  lead. 

Imitation  Rosewood  Stain,— Venetian  red,  darkened  with  lamp 
black  to  required  shade. 

Imitation  Walnut  Stain,— Burnt  umber  and  yellow  ochre,  mixed 
in  proportions  to  give  desired  shade. 

Before  leaving  the  subject  of  pine,  it  may  be  as  well  to  say  a 
few  words  regarding  the  long  leaved,  or  Georgia  pine  (Pinus 
Pulustris.)  as  a  great  deal  of  it  is  used  now  in  and  about  the  city 
of  New  York,  and  other  large  centres.  This  wood  is  very  fine, 
strong  and  lasting.  Some  of  it  is  insusceptible  of  fine  finish,  but 
the  best  success  with  it,  is  when  treated  with  shellac  finish.  In 
all  other  respects,  when  used  as  a  finishing  material,  it  may  be 
treated  the  same  as  ordinary  pine. 

Walnut, — (Jiiglans  Nigra.} — As  this  wood  is  seldom  or  never 
stained  it  is  unnecessary  to  say  more  about  it  other  than  it  may 
be  treated  like  oak  cherry  or  birch.  It  looks  well  filled  and 
finished  in  shellac.  Birch  stained  and  properly  finished  looks 
very  much  like  walnut,  and  with  a  little  care  in  getting  a  proper 


THE  HARDWOOD   FINISHER.  69 

tint  in  the  stain,  can  scarcely  be  known  from  the  real  thing. 
"Filling,"  in  walnut  finishing,  is  one  of  the  most  important 
processes,  if  the  richness  of  the  wood  is  desired  to  be  shown  as 
much  depends  on  the  "tint"  as  on  the  filling  material. 

Po D I ar- — (Populus  balsamifera) . 

BaSS WOOd, — (  Tieia  Americana. ) 

CedaPi — White — (cupressus  thuyoides}  which  is  really  a  spruce, 
and  all  similar  woods,  should  never  be  finished  in  a  natural  state. 
Deep  stains  or  surface  stains  should  always  be  employed  on  these 
woods  if  they  are  not  to  be  painted. 

Beech- — (Fagus  ferrugtnea)  This  is  one  of  the  unnoticed  woods 
of  former  years  but  is  now  gradually  gaining  in  favor  as  a  decora- 
tive wood.  It  is  cheap  and  also  quite  abundant,  while  the  more 
popular  hard  woods  are  beginning  to  grow  scarcer  and  higher  in 
price.  Beechwood  has  a  fine  grain,  is  quite  durable,  and  can  be 
used  in  the  manufacture  of  furniture  and  for  decorative  purposes 
generally.  The  red  variety  has  a  handsome  appearance  and  is 
especially  suitable  for  use  where  a  good  imitation  of  cherry  is 
desired. 

If  "  quarter  sawed  "  it  shows  a  fine  grain  and  has  a  character 
distinctly  its  own  which  I  think  has  never  been  properly  appreci- 
ated. When  quartered,  properly  finished,  filled  and  polished,  it 
looks  something  like  dark  leopard  wood.  It  will  assume  a  dark 
mahogany  color  if  prepared  like  cherry  or  birch,  or  it  may  be 
made  to  appear  like  walnut  if  treated  with  walnut  stains  and 
finish. 

Elm- — (  Ulinus  Americana. ) 

Chestnut, — (castanea  vesca.~) 

Buttern \A,—(JuSlans  cinerea. ) 

These  three  woods  are  often  used  in  inferior  work,  and  are 
very  soft  and  and  easily  dented.  The  best  is  perhaps  the  elm, 
which  does  very  well  for  bath-room  finish,  panels  for  ash  doors 
and  similar  work.  All  require  a  great  deal  of  "  filling  "  and 
this  should  be  well  rubbed  in  if  a  good  job  is  required.  All  of 
these  woods  have  a  very  coarse  grain,  but  if  care  is  taken  in  select- 


70  THE   HAEDWOOD   FINISHER. 

ing  the  material,  very  odd  and  oftimes  pleasing  effects  may  be 
obtained.  Any  of  the  stains  used  on  pine,  will  answer  for  these 
woods,  dependent  of  course  on  the  tints  desired.  The  best  re- 
sults with  these  woods  is  derived  by  giving  the  work  one  coat  of 
shellac  after  filling  and  staining,  then  sandpaper  well  and  apply 
your  varnish  or  oil  finish  or  whatever  you  purpose  finishing  in. 

CypreSSi — {Cupressus  sempervierens.*)  The  light  the  dark  and 
the  bald  are  good  woods  and  are  coming  more  and  more  in 
favor  every  day. 

This  wood  contains  a  very  small  amount  of  resin,  and  a  very 
high  polish  can  be  given  it ;  in  fact,  because  of  its  not  being  af- 
fected by  moisture,  it  is  being  used  for  cisterns,  hogsheads, and 
sugar,  molasses  and  honey  barrels.  The  red  cypress  is  the  favor- 
ite, and  some  of  it  is  so  heavy  that  it  will  sink  upon  being  placed  in 
water.  The  white  variety  in  much  lighter,  and  will  float  after 
being  deadened  a  short  while  before  being  cut,  but  it  has  not  the 
firm  grain  of  the  red.  The  red  cypress  has  a  straight  trunk  with 
a  small  top,  and  the  bark  when  cut  has  a  reddish  tint.  These 
woods  may  be  treated  like  cherry  or  brich  with  good  results. 
They  look  well  when  left  their  natural  color  and  finished  "  dead 
finish." 

Sycamore^  or  Buttonwood,  as  it  is  sometimes  called  (acer pseudo 
platanus)  when  quarter  sawed  and  properly  finished  makes  a 
good  appearance,  and  in  many  cases  is  superceding  cherry  owing 
to  its  beauty  and  cheapness.  Heretofore  its  natural  beauty  has 
been  destroyed  in  many  cases  by  staining  the  wood,  and  thus  pre- 
venting the  development  of  many  chemical  changes  which  take 
place  and  are  thrown  to  the  surface  when  properly  treated.  When 
quarter  sawed,  a  light  bodied  and  light  colored  shellac  should  be 
used,  when  by  a  natural  chemical  process  a  beautiful  silver  leaf 
is  developed  and  the  surface  assumes  a  charming  pink  hue. 

Hemlocki — (Abies  Canadensis.^)  This  is  rarely  used  for  finish- 
ing owing  to  its  brittleness  and  splintery  nature.  Clean  boards, 
however,  made  into  panels  or  other  similar  work  and  then  finished 
in  natural  color,  assumes  a  very  handsome  appearance.  It  has  a 


THE   HARDWOOD    FINISHER.  71 

a  pink  tint  of  the  most  delicate  kind  which  improves  and  mel- 
lows with  age.  It  should  be  finished  in  the  same  manner  as  pine. 
Rosewood. — {Dalbergia  Nigra.*)  It  seldom  falls  to  the  lot  of 
the  ordinary  finisher  to  have  to  "  try  his  hand  "  on  the  genuine 
wood,  but  sometimes  it  does  happen  and  it  is  just  as  well  that  he 
should  be  armed  with  the  means  to  wrestle  with  the  work  if  such  is 
ever  thrown  in  his  way.  To  finish  rosewood,  requires  about  the 
same  treatment  as  mahogany,  though,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  many 
pieces  of  rosewood  will  be  found  to  have  a  coarser  grain  than 
mahogany,  and  will  require  much  care  in  filling.  The  main  thing 
to  be  observed,  is  to  see  that  the  filling  is  a  shade  or  two  darker 
than  the  wood  to  be  filled,  before  any  varnish  is  laid  on.  For 
imitation  of  rosewood  I  give  below  a  few  recipes  : 

Take  half  a  pound  of  logwood,  boil  it  with  three  pints 
of  water  till  it  is  of  a  very  dark  red,  to  which  add  about  half 
an  ounce  of  salt  of  tartar.  When  boiling  hot,  stain  your 
wood  with  two  or  three  coats,  taking  care  that  it  is  nearly  dry 
between  each  ;  then,  with  a  stiff,  flat  brush,  such  as  is  used  for 
graining,  make  streaks  with  a  very  deep  black  stain,  which  if 
carefully  executed  will  be  very  near  the  appearance  of  dark  rose- 
wood. The  following  is  another  method:  Stain  your  wood  all 
over  with  a  black  stain,  and  when  dry,  with  a  brush  as  above 
dipped  in  the  bright  liquid  form  real  veins  in  imitation  of  the 
grain  of  rosewood,  which  will  produce,  when  well  managed,  a 
beautiful  effect.  A  handy  brush  for  the  purpose  of  graining  may 
be  made  by  taking  a  flat  brush  such  as  used  for  varnishing, 
and  cuttting  the  sharp  points  of  the  hairs  and  making  the  edge  ir- 
regular ;  by  cutting  out  a  few  hairs  here  and  there  the  grain  may 
be  imitated  with  great  accuracy. 

This  is  suitable  to  pine,  cedar,  Cyprus,  whitewood,  bassvvoods 
while  the  following  should  only  be  used  in  mahogany,  cherry, 
or  birch,  spread  on  the  surface  of  the  material  a  concentrated 
solution  of  hypermagnate  of  potassa,  to  act  until  the  desired  shade 
is  obtained.  Five  minutes  suffice,  ordinarily,  to  give  a  deep 
color,  a  few  trials  indicating  the  proper  proportions.  The  hyper- 


72  THE   HAKDWOOD   FINISHER. 

magnate  of  potassa  is  decomposed  by  the  vegetable  fibre  with  the 
precipitation  of  brown  peroxide  of  maganese,  which  the  influ- 
ence of  the  potassa,  at  the  same  time  set  free,  fixes  in  a 
durable  manner  the  fibres.  When  the  action  is  terminated  the 
wood  is  carefully  washed  with  water,  dried,  and  then  oiled  and 
polished  in  the  usual  manner.  The  effect  produced  by  this 
process  in  several  woods  is  really  remarkable. 

It  has  been  a  mystery  to  many  people  why  the  dark  wood  so 
highly  prized  for  furniture  is  called  "  Rosewood."  Its  color 
certainly  does  not  look  much  like  a  rose,  so  we  must  look  for 
some  other  reason.  It  is  claimed  by  some  that  when  the  tree  is 
first  cut  the  wood  possesses  a  very  strong  roselike  fragrance,  hence 
the  name.  This  is  the  most  probable  reason  for  its  name.  There 
are  about  a  half  a  dozen  kinds  of  rosewood  trees.  The  varieties 
are  found  in  South  America,  and  in  the  East  Indies  and  neigh- 
boring islands.  Sometimes  the  trees  grow  so  large  that  boards  or 
planks  four  feet  broad  and  ten  feet  in  length  can  be  cut  from  them. 
The  broad  boards  are  used  for  the  tops  of  piano  fortes.  When 
growing  in  the  forests  the  tree  is  remarkable  for  its  beauty,  but 
such  its  value  in  manufacturing  as  an  ornamental  wood  that  some 
of  the  forests  where  it  once  grew  abundantly  now  have  scarcely  a 
single  specimen  left. 

I  have  purposely  left  unmentioned  a  number  of  our  finest  woods 
such  as  our  maples,  and  others,  which,  would  it  not  increase  the 
size  of  this  volume,  beyond  reasonable  dimensions.  I  should 
have  more  to  say  concerning  them.  The  workmen  will  know,  from 
what  has  already  been  said,  how  these  light  woods  may  be 
treated,  and  I  may  add,  that  the  various  maples,  though  rather 
light  in  color  for  general  purposes,  make  the  most  delicate  of 
finish.  Gum  wood  of  late,  has  been  used  to  some  extent  and  is 
not  hard  to  deal  with  when  to  be  finished.  It  should  be  treated 
about  as  cherry  and  birch,  and  finished  in  a  similar  way,  and 
when  done  nicely  the  work  looks  quite  well. 

Redwood  is  getting  to  be  a  favorite  wood  with  some  builders, 
owing  no  doubt  to  its  cheapness,  and  its  easiness  to  work.  It 


THE    HARDWOOD   FINISHER.  <3 

may  be  classed  among  the  softer  woods  and  requires  treating 
about  the  same  as  chestnut,  butternut  and  the  cedars.  The  fol- 
lowing formula  and  directions  have  been  highly  recommended  as 
a  finish,  but  for  my  own  part,  I  prefer  using  Wheeler's  filler  as 
I  think  better  results  are  obtained.  Here  is  the  formula : 

Take  one  quart  Spirits  Tupentine. 

Add  one  pound  Corn  Starch. 

Add  %  "         Burnt  Sienna. 

Add  one  tablespoonful  Raw_Linseed  Oil. 

Add     "  •'  Brown  Japan. 

Mix  thoroughly,  apply  with  a  brush,  let  it  stand  say  fifteen 
minutes ;  rub  off  all  you  can  with  fine  shavings  or  a  soft  rag,  then 
let  it  stand  at  least  twenty-four  hours  that  it  may  sink  into  and 
harden  the  fibres  of  the  wood,  afterward  apply  two  coats  of  white 
shellac;  rub  down  well  with  fine  flint  paper,  then  put  on  from 
two  to  five  coats  best  polishing  varnish  ;  after  it  is  well  dried  rub 
with  water  and  pumice-stone  ground  very  fine,  stand  a  day  to 
dry ;  after  being  washed  clean  with  chamois,  rub  with  water  and 
rotten-stone ;  dry,  wash  as  before  clean,  and  rub  with  olive  oil 
until  dry. 

Some  use  cork  for  sand-papering  and  polishing,  but  a  smooth 
block  of  hard  wood  like  maple  is  better.  When  treated  in  this 
way  redwood  will  be  found  the  peer  of  any  wood  for  real  beauty 
and  life  as  a  house  trim  or  finish.  By  proper  attention,  redwood 
may  be  made  to  appear  like  mahogany  or  cherry  but  its  softness 
is  very  much  against  it. 

General  RecipeSi — Ebomzing. — Prepare  some  shellac  varnish 
by  dissolving  half  a  pound  of  gum  shellac  in  a  quart  of  alcohol ; 
put  in  a  tightly  corked  bottle,  set  in  a  warm  place,  and  shake 
frequently.  When  completely  dissolved,  add  sufficient  dry  lamp 
or  bone  black.  It  will  require  only  about  a  heaping  tablespoon- 
ful to  half  a  pint  of  varnish.  Should  it  be  too  thick  to  flow 
easily  from  the  brush,  and  spread  evenly,  add  alcohol.  Give 
the  wood  two  or  three  coats  of  this,  which  can  be  done  within 
two  days.  For  fine  work  give  three  coats  of  the  black  varnish 


74  THE   HARDWOOD   FINISHER. 

and  allow  it  to  dry  thoroughly  ;  then  take  some  oo  or  ooo  sand- 
paper and  rub  the  work  down  lightly  until  the  surface  is  smooth 
and  even,  being  careful  not  to  rub  through  to  the  wood.  Then 
apply  two  or  three  coats  more,  and  rub  down  again  with  the 
sandpaper;  give  two  coats  more  and  allow  it  to  dry  perfectly 
hard.  Make  some  rubbers  of  felt,  an  old  felt  hat  is  good,  by 
tacking  the  felt  on  blocks  of  soft  wood  of  proper  shape,  which 
should  be  flat,  concave  or  convex  to  fit  the  work.  Apply  a  few 
drops  of  sewing  machine  oil  to  the  felt  and  sprinkle  on  a  pinch  of 
pulverized  pumice  stone.  Rub  the  work  with  this,  keeping  the 
rubber  moist  with  oil  and  supplied  with  the  pumice,  until  the 
wood  shows  a  perfectly  smooth  surface,  without  any  gloss.  When 
it  has  all  been  gone  over  wipe  off  the  surface  and  rub  clean  with 
dry  flannel  cloths.  The  result  is  fine  imitation  of  ebony.  If 
the  shellac  varnish  is  colored  with  aniline  instead  of  lamp-black, 
the  finished  surface  is  smoother  and  finer. 

Others. — i.  infuse  gall-nut  in  vinegar,  into  which  rusty  nails 
have  been  soaked  ;  paint  the  wood  with  this,  polish  and  burnish 
when  dry.  2.  Wash  the  wood  repeatedly  with  a  solution  of  sul- 
phate of  iron,  made  by  dissolving  2  oz.  of  sulphate  in  a  pint  of 
hot  water.  When  dry,  apply  a  hot  decoction  of  logwood  and 
nut-galls  two  or  three  times.  When  dry,  clean  with  a  wet  sponge 
and  then  polish.  3.  Brush  the  wood  with  a  strong  decoction 
of  logwood  chips  several  times.  When  dry,  give  it  a  coat  of 
vinegar  in  which  rusty  iron  has  been  placed.  Dissolve  beeswax 
in  turpentine  by  setting  in  a  warm  place ;  apply  warm  with  a 
brush,  and  rub  it  till  it  shines.  4.  Wash  with  a  concentrated 
aqueous  solution  of  logwood  several  times,  and  then  with  a  solu- 
tion of  acetate  of  iron  of  40  deg.  Baume.  Repeat  till  a  deep 
black  is  produced.  5.  Put  2  oz.  of  logwood  chips  with  i%  oz. 
of  copperas  in  a  quart  of  water,  boil,  and  lay  on  hot.  When  dry, 
wet  the  surface  again  with  2  oz.  of  steel  filings  dissolved  in  half 
a  pint  of  vinegar.  When  dry  again,  sand-paper-  smooth,  then  oil, 
then  fill  it  with  powdered  drop-black  mixed  in  the  filler.  Work 
to  be  ebonized  should  be  smooth  and  free  from  holes.  Give  it 


THE   HARDWOOD   FINISHER.  75 

a  light  coat  of  quick  drying  varnish,  then  rub  with  finely  pulver- 
ized pumice  stone  and  linseed  oil  until  very  smooth.  6.  Boil 
y2  pound  of  chip  logwood  in  two  quarts  of  water,  and  add  y2  oz.  of 
verdigris  and  y2  oz.  of  copperas,  strain,  and  put  in  y2  pound  of 
rusty  steel  filings.  With  this  go  over  the  work  a  second  time. 
7.  A  pound  of  logwood  boiled  in  four  quarts  of  water,  add  two 
handfuls  of  walnut  shells  or  peel,  boil  up  again,  take  out  the 
chips,  add  a  pint  of  vinegar,  and  apply  boiling.  Afterwards 
dissolve  i  oz.  of  green  copperas  in  a  quart  of  boiling  water  and 
apply  hot.  8.  First  sponge  the  wood  with  a  solution  of  chlorhy- 
drate  of  aniline  in  water,  to  which  a  small  quantity  of  copper 
chloride  is  added.  When  dry,  go  over  again  with  a  solution  of 
potassium  bichromate.  Repeat  this  twice  or  thrice.  9.  One 
gallon  of  vinegar,  ^  pound  of  green  copperas,  ^  pound  of 
China  blue,  2  oz.  nut-gall,  2  pounds  extract  of  logwood.  Boil 
all  these  over  a  slow  fire,  and  add  half  a  pint  of  iron-rust. 
Apply  as  usual.  A  good  varnish  for  ebonized  work  is  made  by 
dissolving  in  alcohol  some  black  wax. 

StainSi — Many  excellent  stains  for  pine  may  be  obtained  by 
using  the  ordinary  graining  colors,  Vandyke  brown,  raw  and 
burnt  sienna,  ultramarine  blue,  etc.,  applied  with  a  brush,  with- 
out previous  preparation  and  then  wiped  off  with  a  cloth — a 
method  that  brings  out  clearly  the  grain  or  marks  of  the  wood, 
which  in  pitch  pine,  now  being  extensively  used  for  fittings,  are 
often  extremely  beautiful.  A  better  method  for  general  work, 
French  polish  being  ordinarily  too  expensive,  is,  where  dark  oak 
or  mahogany  stains  are  not  wanted,  light  varnishes,  of  which  two- 
coats  are  to  be  applied.  The  glue  size  with  which  the  work  is 
first  coated,  in  order  to  fill  up  the  pores  of  the  wood,  should  not 
be  too  thick,  as  in  that  case  it  is  liable  to  crack. 

Logwood,  lime,  brown  soft-soap,  dyed  oil,  sulphate  of  iron, 
nitrate  of  silver  exposed  to  the  sun'.s  rays,  carbonate  of  soda, 
bichromate  and  permanganate  of  potash,  and  other  alkaline  prep- 
arations, are  used  for  darkening  the  wood  ;  the  last  three  are 
specially  recommended.  The  solution  is  applied  by  dissolving 


76  THE   HARDWOOD   FINISHER. 

one  ounce  of  the  alkali  in  two  gills  of  boiling  water,  diluted  to 
the  required  tone.  The  surface  is  saturated  with  a  sponge  or 
flannel,  and  immediately  dried  with  soft  rags.  The  carbonate  is 
used  for  dark  woods.  Oil  tinged  with  rose  madder  may  be  ap- 
plied to  hard  woods  like  birch,  and  a  red  oil  is  prepared  from 
soaked  alkanet  root  in  linseed  oil.  The  grain  of  yellow  pine  can 
be  brought  out  by  two  or  three  coats  of  japan,  much  diluted  with 
turpentine,  and  afterwards  oiled  and  rubbed.  To  give  mahogany 
the  appearance  of  age,  lime  water  used  before  oiling  is  a  good 
plan.  In  staining  wood,  the  best  and  most  transparent  effect  is 
obtained  by  repeated  light  coats  of  the  same.  For  oak  stain  a 
strong  solution  of  oxalic  acid  is  employed  ;  for  mahogany,  dilute 
nitric  acid.  A  primary  coat  or  a  coat  of  wood  fillers  is  advanta- 
geous. For  mahogany  stains,  the  following  are  given :  two 
ounces  of  dragon's-blood  dissolved  in  one  quart  of  rectified 
spirits  of  wine,  well  shaken,  or  raw  sienna  in  beer,  with  burnt 
sienna  to  give  the  required  tone;  for  darker  stains  boil  half  pound 
of  madder  and  two  ounces  of  logwood  chips  in  one  gallon  of 
water,  and  brush  the  decoction  while  hot  over  the  wood  ;  when 
dry,  paint  with  a  solution  of  two  ounces  of  potash  in  one  quart  of 
water.  A  solution  of  permangate  of  potash  forms  a  rapid  and 
excellent  brown  stain. 

Oak  or  ash  may  be  stained  brown  by  using  linseed  oil  and 
benzine  half  and  half,  and  burnt  umber  or  Vandyke  brown  in- 
corporated with  this.  Maple  can  be  stained  green-gray  by  using 
•copperas  in  water;  oak  will  also  be  changed  to  a  dark  green  blue 
through  the  same  agency,  the  effect  on  ash  being  various  shades 
of  olive  green.  Ammonia  applied  to  oak  produces  the  bronze 
olive  tint  now  used  so  much  by  architects. 

Wash  any  compact  wood  with  a  boiling  decoction  of  logwood 
three  or  four  times,  allowing  it  to  dry  between  each  application. 
Then  wash  it  with  a  solution  of  acetate  of  iron,  which  is  made 
by  dissolving  iron  fillings  in  vinegar.  This  stain  is  very  black, 
and  penetrates  to  a  considerable  depth  into  the  wood,  so  that 
ordinary  scratching  or  chipping  does  not  show  the  original  color. 


THE   HARDWOOD   FINISHER.  77 

A  wash  of  one  part  of  nitric  acid  in  ten  parts  of  water  will,  if 
well  done,  impart  a  stain  resembling  mahogany  to  pine  wood  which 
does  not  contain  much  resin.  When  the  wood  is  thoroughly  dry, 
shellac  varnish  will  impart  a  fine  finish  to  the  surface.  A  glaze 
of  carmine  or  lake  will  produce  a  rosewood  finish.  A  turpentine 
extract  of  alkanet  root  produces  a  beautiful  stain  which  admits  of 
French  polishing.  Asphaltum,  thinned  with  turpentine,  makes  an 
excellent  mahogany  color  on  new  wood. 

A  Methodi — Of  imparting  to  any  plain  white  wood  the  ap- 
pearance of  cedar  wood  is  as  follows  : — Mix  two  parts  of  catechu, 
and  one  part  of  caustic  soda,  in  a  hundred  parts  of  water  (all  by 
weight).  The  article  to  be  stained  should  be  boiled  in  this  solu- 
tion for  some  hours,  and  is  then  rinsed  in  clear  water  and  dried. 
If  the  desired  depth  of  tone  has  not  been  obtained,  a  second 
boiling  must  be  resorted  to.  This  stain  is  said  to  sink  so  deep 
into  the  wood  that  even  thick  sheets  of  veneer  thus  treated  will 
be  colored  right  through  ;  while  other  wood  articles  thus  stained 
may  be  safely  manipulated  without  any  fear  of  the  original  color 
of  the  wood  showing  through. 

For  a  Brown  Stain, — Boil  i  lb.  of  the  brown  pigment  called 
Terre  de  Cassel  with  4  quarts  of  water,  until  it  is  reduced  one- 
third.  Mix  two  ounces  (Troy)  of  white  potash  with  sufficient 
water  to  dissolve  it,  and  mix  with  the  Terre  de  Cassel.  This 
stain  must  be  applied  with  a  brush,  two  or  even  three  times,  ac- 
cording to  the  depth  of  the  shade  required. 

Another- — Paint  the  wood  with  a  solution  made  by  boiling  one 
pot  of  catechu  with  thirty  parts  of  water  and  a  little  soda  ;  when 
dry  paint  over  with  another  solution  made  of  one  part  bichro- 
mate of  potash  and  thirty  parts  water.  By  a  little  difference  in 
the  mode  of  treatment,  and  by  varying  the  strength  of  the  solu- 
tions, several  shades  of  color  may  be  given. 

For  a  Black  Dye, — Put  6  Ibs.  of  chip  logwood  into  the  copper, 
with  as  many  veneers  as  it  will  conveniently  hold,  without  press- 
ing too  tight  ;  fill  it  with  water,  and  let  it  boil  slowly  for 
about  three  hours  ;  then  add  half  a  pound  of  powdered  verdigris, 


78  THE   HARDWOOD    FINISHER. 

half  a  pound  of  copperas,  and  four  ounces  of  bruised  nut-galls  ; 
fill  the  copper  up  with  vinegar  as  the  water  evaporates  ;  let  it  boil 
gently  two  hours  each  day  till  the  wood  is  dyed  through. 

To  Brighten  Stains- — Any  of  the  stains  named  (except  the  sur- 
face stains)  will  be  rendered  much  more  brilliant  by  an  applica- 
tion of  the  following  :  i  oz.  nitric  acid,  yz  teaspoonful  muriatic 
acid,  %  oz.  grain  tin,  2  ozs.  rain  water.  Mix  in  a  bottle,  at  least 
two  days  before  using,  and  keep  the  bottle  well  corked. 

The  above  stains  are  probably  the  most  important  to  a  house 
finisher,  and,  as  they  have  all  been  employed  and  found  practi- 
cable,they  can  be  relied  upon.  In  performing  a  small  job  it  will 
generally  be  found  more  convenient  and  economical  to  obtain 
the  stain  from  some  furniture  shop  where  it  is  kept  in  bulk. 

The  best  way  to  preserve  stain  is  to  keep  it  in  bottles  or  jugs. 
It  is  said  that  four  or  five  drops  of  creosote  added  to  a  quart  of 
stain  will  prevent  it  from  becoming  mouldy  and  stagnant. 

The  stainers  at  the  furniture  shops  have  contrived  a  scheme  to 
prevent  their  hands  from  becoming  deeply  stained  while  at  work, 
by  dipping  them  into  a  quick-dry  varnish  or  oil  shellac,  and  then 
in  cleansing  them  they  rinse  them  first  in  water  to  remove  the 
stain,  and  then  submit  them  to  a  turpentine  bath,  thus  removing 
the  varnish. 

Miscellaneous- — Many  processes  have  of  late  been  applied  to 
the  finishing  of  woodwork,  such  as  staining  in  various  colors, 
fumigating  and  other  methods.  A  new  finish  is  now  practised 
in  the  European  market,  and  is  known  as  the  Rubenick  process. 
It  is  used  for  giving  a  metallic  surface  to  wood,  and  consists  in 
first  immersing  the  wood  in  a  bath  of  caustic  alkaline  lye,  in 
which  it  is  allowed  to  remain  for  two  or  three  days,  according  to 
the  degree  of  permeability  of  the  wood,  at  a  temperature  of  167° 
to  194°  F.  From  this  bath  the  wood  passes  to  another  of  hydro- 
sulphate  of  calcium,  to  which  is  added,  after  24  or  36  hours,  a 
concentrated  solution  of  sulphur.  Here  it  remains  for  about  48 
hours  at  a  temperature  of  95°  to  122°  F.,  and,  lastly,  for  from 
30  to  50  hours  the  wood  is  immersed  in  a  solution  of  acetate  of 


THE    HARDWOOD   FINISHER.  79 

lead  at  the  same  temperature.  The  timber,  thus  pickled,  is  al- 
lowed to  dry,  when  it  is  said  to  be  susceptible,  after  burnishing, 
of  a  high  polish  and  even  metallic  luster,  which  is  more  brilliant 
if  the  surfaces  of  the  wood  have  been  previously  rubbed  with  lead, 
tin  or  zinc  plates,  and  then  polished  with  a  glass  or  porcelain  bur- 
nisher. Treated  in  this  way  the  wood  may  assume  the  appear- 
ance of  a  metallic  mirror,  being  also  hard  and  very  strong. 

With  the  majority  of  lumbermen  the  term  hardwood  includes 
everything  except  white  pine,  and  is  accepted  in  that  sense  gen- 
erally by  the  trade,  though  in  reality  there  are  two  or  three 
woods,  such  as  buckeye  and  Southern  white  lynn,  that  are  softer 
than  white  pine.  Some  writer,  we  know  not  who,  says  :  "The 
relative  hardness  of  woods  is  calculated  by  the  hickory,  which  is 
the  toughest.  Estimating  this  at  100,  we  get  for  pignut  hickory 
96,  white  oak  84,  white  ash  77,  dogwood  75,  scrub  oak  73,  while 
hazel,  72,  apple  tree  70,  red  oak  79,  white  beech  65,  black  wal- 
nut 65,  black  birch  62,  yellow  and  black  oak,  60,  hard  maple  56, 
white  elm  58,  red  cedar  56,  cherry  55,  yellow  pine  54,  chestnut 
52,  yellow  poplar  51,  butternut  and  white  birch  43,  and  white 
pine  35.  " 

According  to  this  formula,  woods  possessing  a  degree  of  hard- 
ness equal  to  only  about  40  percent.,  or  less  than  that  of  hickory, 
should  not  be  classed  as  hardwoods.  Such  woods  are,  however, 
limited  in  quantity,  and  are  not  of  sufficient  importance  to  jus- 
tify a  classification,  and  the  trade  will  continue  to  construe  hard- 
wood to  mean  everything  except  white  pine. 

Dyeing  wood  is  mostly  applied  for  the  purpose  of  veneers, 
while  staining  is  more  generally  had  recourse  to  give  the  de- 
sired color  to  the  article  after  it  has  been  manufactured.  In  the 
one  case,  the  color  should  penetrate  throughout,  while  in  the  lat- 
ter the  surface  is  all  that  is  essential. 

In  dyeing,  pear  tree,  holly  and  beech,  take  the  best  black  ;  but 
for  most  colors  holly  is  preferable.  It  is  also  best  to  have  wood 
as  young  and  as  newly  cut  as  possible.  After  the  veneers  are  cut, 
they  should  be  allowed  to  lie  in  a  trough  of  water  for  four  or  five 


80  THE   HARDWOOD   FIXISHEK. 

days  before  they  are  put  into  the  copper  ;  as  the  water,  acting  as 
a  purgative  to  the  wood,  brings  out  an  abundance  of  slimy  matter, 
which  must  be  removed,  or  the  wood  will  never  be  a  good  color. 
After  this  purificatory  process,  they  should  be  dried  in  the  open 
air  for  at  least  twelve  hours.  They  are  then  ready  for  the  cop- 
per. By  these  simple  means  the  color  will  strike  much  quicker, 
and  be  of  a  brighter  hue.  It  would  also  add  to  the  improvement 
of  the  colors,  if,  after  the  veneers  have  boiled  a  few  bours,  they 
are  taken  out,  dried  in  the  air,  and  again  immersed  in  the  color- 
ing copper.  Always  dry  veneers  in  the  open  air,  for  fire  invari- 
ably injures  the  colors. 

Fine  Black  Dyei — Put  6  Ibs.  of  chip  logwood  into  the  copper, 
with  as  many  veneers  as  it  will  conveniently  hold,  without  press- 
ing too  tight ;  fill  it  with  water,  and  let  it  boil  slowly  for  about 
three  hours  ;  then  add  half  a  pound  of  powdered  verdigris,  half 
a  pound  of  copperas,  and  4  ounces  of  bruised  nut-galls  ;  fill  the 
copper  up  with  vinegar  as  the  water  evaporates  ;  let  it  boil  gently 
two  hours  each  day  till  the  wood  is  dyed  through. 

Another. — Procure  some  liquor  from  a  tanner's  pit,  or  make  a 
decoction  of  oak  bark,  and  to  every  gallon  of  the  liquor  add  a 
quarter  of  a  pound  of  green  copperas,  and  mix  them  well  to- 
gether ;  put  the  liquor  into  the  copper,  and  make  it  quite  hot,  but 
not  boil  ;  immerse  the  veneers  in  it,  and  let  them  remain  for  an 
hour  ;  take  them  out,  and  expose  them  to  the  air,  till  it  has  pene- 
trated its  substance  ;  then  add  some  logwood  to  the  solution, 
place  the  veneers  again  in  it,  and  let  it  simmer  for  two  or  three 
hours ;  let  the  whole  cool  gradually,  dry  the  veneers  in  the  shade, 
and  they  will  be  a  very  fine  black. 

Fine  Blue  Dye- — Into  a  clean  glass  bottle  put  i  Ib.  of  oil  of  vit- 
riol, and  4  ozs.  of  the  best  indigo  pounded  in  a  mortar  (take  care 
to  set  the  bottle  in  a  basin  or  earthen  glazed  pan,  as  it  will  fer- 
ment ) ;  then  put  the  veneers  into  a  copper  or  stone  trough ;  fill  it 
rather  more  than  one-third  with  water,  and- add  as  much  of  the 
vitriol  and  indigo  (stirring  it  about)  as  will  make  a  fine  blue,  which 


THE    HARDWOOD    FINISHER.  81 

may  be  known  by  trying  it  with  a  piece  of  white  paper  or  wood, 
Let  the  veneers  remain  till  the  dye  has  struck  through. 

The  color  will  be  much  improved  if  the  solution  of  indigo  in 
vitriol  be  kept  a  few  weeks  before  using  it.  The  color  will  strike 
better  if  the  veneers  are  boiled  in  plain  water  till  completely  soaked 
through,  and  then  allowed  for  a  few  hours  to  dry  partially,  previ- 
ous to  being  immersed  in  the  dye. 

Another — Throw  pieces  of  quicklime  into  soft  water ;  stir  it 
well ;  when  settled,  strain  or  pour  off  the  clear  part ;  then  to  every 
gallon  add  ten  or  twelve  ounces  of  the  best  turnsole ;  put  the 
whole  into  the  copper  with  the  veneers,  which  should  be  of  white 
holly,  and  prepared  as  usual  by  boiling  in  water;  let  them  simmer 
gently  till  the  color  has  sufficiently  penetrated,  but  be  careful  not 
to  let  them  boil  in  it,  as  it  would  injure  the  color. 

A  Fine  Yellow  Dye- — Reduce  4  Ibs.  of  the  root  of  barberry,  by 
sawing,  to  dust,  which  put  in  a  copper  or  brass  trough ;  add  4  ozs. 
of  turmeric  and  4  gallons  of  water,  then  put  in  as  many  white 
holly  veneers  as  the  liquor  will  cover ;  boil  them  together  for  three 
hours,  often  turning  them ;  when  cool,  add  2  ozs.  of  aquafortis 
and  the  dye  will  strike  through  much  sooner. 

A  Bright  Yellow  Dye- — To  every  gallon  of  water  necessary  to 
cover  the  veneers,  add  i  Ib.  of  French  berries ;  boil  the  veneers 
till  the  color  has  penetrated  through ;  add  to  the  infusion  of  the 
French  berries,  the  liquid  for  brightening  colors  given  on  page  78, 
and  let  the  veneers  remain  for  two  or  three  hours,  and  the  color 
will  be  very  bright. 

Bright  Green  Dye. — Proceed  as  in  either  of  the  previous  re- 
ceipts to  produce  a  yellow ;  but  instead  of  adding  aquafortis  or 
the  brightening  liquid,  add  as  much  vitriolated  indigo  (see  page 
80)  as  will  produce  the  desired  color. 

Green  Dye- — Dissolve  4  ozs.  of  the  best  verdigris,  and  of  sap- 
green  and  indigo  half  an  ounce  each  in  3  pints  of  the  best  vine- 
gar ;  put  in  the  veneers,  and  gently  boil  till  the  color  has  pene- 
trated sufficiently. 

The  hue  of  the  green  may  be  varied  by  altering  the  proportion 
6 


82  THE  HAKDWOOD   FINISHEE. 

of  the  ingredients;  and  it  is  advised,  unless  wanted  for  a  particu- 
lar purpose,  to  leave  out  the  sap-green,  as  it  is  a  vegetable  color 
very  apt  to  change,  or  turn  brown,  when  exposed  to  the  air. 

Bright  Red  Dye( — To  2  IDS-  of  genuine  Brazil  dust,  add  4 
gallons  of  water ;  put  in  as  many  veneers  as  the  liquor  will  cover  ; 
boil  them  for  three  hours ;  then  add  2  ozs.  of  alum,  and  2  ozs.  of 
aquafortis,  and  keep  it  lukewarm  until  it  has  struck  through. 

Red  DyCi — To  every  pound  of  logwood  chips,  add  2  gallons  of 
water;  put  in  the  veneers,  and  boil  as  in  the  last;  then  add  a 
sufficient  quantity  of  the  brightening  liquid  (see  page  78)  till  you 
see  the  color  to  your  mind ;  keep  the  whole  as  warm  as  the  fin- 
ger can  be  borne  in  it,  till  the  color  has  sufficiently  penetrated. 

The  logwood  chips  should  be  picked  from  all  foreign  sub- 
stances, with  which  it  generally  abounds,  as  bark,  dirt,  etc.;  and  it 
is  always  best  when  fresh  cut,  which  may  be  known  by  its  appear- 
ing of  a  bright-red  color ;  for  if  stale,  it  will  look  brown,  and  not 
yield  so  much  coloring  matter. 

Purple  Dv6t — To  2  Ibs.  of  chip  logwood  and  half  a  pound  of 
Brazil  dust,  add  4  gallons  of  water,  and  after  putting  in  the  ve- 
neers, boil  them  for  at  least  three  hours ;  then  add  6  ozs.  of  pearl- 
ash  and  2  ozs.  of  alum  ;  let  them  boil  for  two  or  three  hours  every 
day,  till  the  color  has  struck  through. 

The  Brazil  dust  only  contributes  to  make  the  purple  of  a  more 
red  cast ;  you  may,  therefore,  omit  it,  if  you  require  a  deep  bluish 
purple. 

Another. — Boil  2  Ibs.  of  logwood,  either  in  chips  or  powder, 
in  4  gallons  of  water,  with  the  veneers;  after  boiling  till  the  color 
is  well  struck  in,  add  by  degrees  vitriolated  indigo  (see  page  80) 
till  the  purple  is  of  the  shade  required,  which  may  be  known  by 
trying  it  with  a  piece  of  paper  ;  let  it  then  boil  for  one  hour,  and 
keep  the  liquid  in  a  milk-warm  state  till  the  color  has  penetrated 
the  veneer.  This  method,  when  properly  managed,  will  produce 
a  brilliant  purple,  not  so  likely  to  fade  as  the  foregoing. 

Liquid  For  Brightening  AND  SETTING  COLORS.— To  every 
pint  of  strong  aquafortis,  add  i  oz.  of  grain  tin,  and  a  piece  of 


THE   HARDWOOD  FINISHER  83 

sal-ammoniac  of  the  size  of  a  walnut;  set  it  by  to  dissolve,  shake 
the  bottle  round  with  the  cork  out,  from  time  to  time ;  in  the 
course  of  two  or  three  days  it  will  be  fit  for  use.  This  will  be 
found  an  admirable  liquid  to  add  to  any  color,  as  it  not  only 
brightens  it,  but  renders  it  less  likely  to  fade  from  exposure  to  the 
air. 

Orange  D  ye- — Let  the  veneers  be  dyed  by  either  of  the  methods 
given  in  page  81,  of  a  fine  deep  yellow,  and  while  they  are  still 
wet  and  saturated  with  the  dye,  transfer  them  to  the  bright  red 
dye  as  in  page  82,  till  the  color  penetrates  equally  throughout. 

Silver  Grey  Dye- — Expose  to  the  weather  in  a  cast-iron  pot 
of  six  or  eight  gallons,  old  iron  nails,  hoops,  etc.,  till  covered 
with  rust ;  add  i  gallon  of  vinegar  and  2  of  water,  boil  all  well 
for  an  hour ;  have  the  veneers  ready,  which  must  be  hard-wood 
(not  too  dry,)put  them  in  the  copper  used  to  dye  black,  and  pour 
the  iron  liquor  over  them ;  add  i  Ib.  of  chip  logwood  and  2  ozs. 
of  bruised  nut-galls ;  then  boil  up  another  pot  of  the  iron  liquor 
to  supply  the  copper  with,  keeping  the  veneers  covered,  and  boil- 
ing two  hours  a  day,  till  the  required  color  is  obtained. 

Gray  Dye- — Expose  any  quantity  of  old  iron,  or  what  is  better, 
the  borings  of  gun-barrels,  etc.,  in  any  convenient  vessel,  and 
from  time  to  time  sprinkle  them  with  spirits  of  salt  (muriatic  acid) 
diluted  in  four  times  its  quantity  of  water,  till  they  are  very 
thickly  covered  with  rust;  then  to  every  six  pounds  add' a  gallon 
of  water,  in  which  has  been  dissolved  two  ounces  of  salt  of  tartar ; 
lay  the  veneers  in  the  copper,  and  cover  them  with  this  liquid ; 
let  it  boil  for  two  or  three  hours  till  well  soaked,  then  to  every 
gallon  of  liquor  add  a  quarter  of  a  pound  of  green  copperas,  and 
keep  the  whole  at  a  moderate  temperature  till  the  dye  has  suffi- 
ciently penetrated. 

Gilding,  Silvering  and  Bronzing  are  processes  of  applying  to 

previously  prepared  surfaces  a  thin  layer  of  gold  or  silver  leaf,  or 
in  bronzing,  of  a  fine  powder,  prepared  from  various  metals  and 
intended  to  imitate  the  peculiar  appearance  of  genuine  bronze. 


84  THE   HARDWOOD    FINISHER. 

The  processes  of  gilding  and  silvering  being  identical,  the  de- 
scription of  one  will  suffice  to  explain  the  other. 

Gilding- — Gold  leaf,  applied  to  articles  of  furniture  as  a  means 
of  decoration,  is  used  in  two  ways;  it  is  applied  over  an  ordinary 
varnish  or  other  finish,  in  which  case  but  little  special  preparation 
is  necessary;  or,  as  when  used  for  picture  frames,  cornices,  etc., 
it  is  appled  to  a  specially  prepared  foundation,  the  basis  of  which 
is  whiting,  mixed  with  various  other  ingredients  suggested  by  ex- 
perience or  fancy.  In  either  case,  the  gold  leaf  is  caused  to  ad- 
here to  the  work,  by  size  specially  prepared  for  the  purpose,  re- 
ceipts for  which  follow  herewith  ;  the  size  being  first  applied  to 
the  work,  and  when  it  has  become  of  the  right  consistency,  the 
gold  is  laid  upon  it.  OIL-GILDING  and  BURNISH-GILDING  are 
different  methods  used  to  obtain  certain  desired  effects,  the  for- 
mer principally  for  articles  exposed  to  the  weather,  and  for  height- 
ening the  effect  of  incised  carving  or  engraving,  and  the  latter  for 
picture-frames  and  articles  having  a  specially  prepared  founda- 
tion, whose  entire  surface  is  to  be  gilded.  It  is  intended  that  the 
gold  shall  adhere  to  the  work  only  in  the  places  to  which  the  size 
has  been  applied,  but  the  smallest  portion  of  oil  or  even  a  slight 
dampness  may  cause  the  gold  to  partially  adhere  to  the  adjoining 
surface,  resulting  in  slightly  ragged  edges ;  to  prevent  this,  before 
applying  the  size  to  the  desired  design,  the  entire  surface  is  cov- 
ered with  a  thin  film  of  some  substance  perfectly  free  from 
moisture,  and  easily  removable  by  water,  after  completion  of  the 
process. 

The  Requisites-—  First>  a  sufficient  quantity  of  leaf-gold, 
which  is  of  two  sorts — the  deep  gold,  as  it  is  called,  and  the  pale 
gold.  The  former  is  the  best ;  the  latter  very  useful,  and  may  oc- 
casionally be  introduced  for  variety  or  effect. 

Second,  a  gilder's  cushion  :  an  oblong  piece  of  wood,  covered 
with  rough  calf-skin,  stuffed  with  flannel  several  times  doubled, 
with  a  border  of  parchment,  about  four  inches  deep,  at  one  end, 
to  prevent  the  air  blowing  the  leaves  about  when  placed  on  the 
cushion. 


THE   HARDWOOD   FINIS  HER.  85 

Thirdly,  a  gilding-knife,  with  a  straight  and  very  smooth  edge, 
to  cut  the  gold. 

Fourthly,  several  camel-hair  pencils  in  sizes,  and  tips,  made  of 
a  few  long  camel's  hairs  put  between  two  cards,  in  the  same 
manner  as  hairs  are  put  into  tin  cases  for  brushes,  thus  making  a 
flat  brush  with  a  very  few  hairs. 

Lastly,  a  burnisher,  which  is  a  crooked  piece  of  agate  set  in  a 
long  wooden  handle. 

SizGSi — These  are  of  two  kinds :  oil  sizes  are  those  which  when 
applied,  present  an  adhesive  surface,  requiring  the  immediate  lay- 
ing of  the  gold-leaf  upon  it  ;  of  this  class  is  the  oil-size  com- 
monly used  in  decorating  furniture  ;  water-sizes  are  those  that 
are  allowed  to  become  dry  and  hard  when  applied,  and  are  ren- 
dered adhesive  when  the  gold  is  to  be  laid,  by  brushing  over  with 
water  ;  for  burnish-gilding  these  are  always  employed,  as  oil-size 
does  not  dry  sufficiently  hard  to  permit  of  burnishing. 

Oil  Size  for  Oil-Gilding, — Grind  calcined  red-ochre  with  the 
best  and  oldest  drying-oil.  When  desired  for  use,  add  sufficient 
oil  of  turpentine  to  make  it  work  freely. 

Parchment-Size,— For  preparing  Frames,  etc.— To  half  a 
pound  of  parchment  shavings,  or  cuttings  of  white  leather,  add 
three  quarts  of  water,  and  boil  it  in  a  proper  vessel  till  reduced  to 
nearly  half  the  quantity  ;  then  take  it  off  the  fire,  and  strain  it 
through  a  sieve.  Be  careful  in  the  boiling  to  keep  it  well  stirred, 
and  do  not  let  burn. 

Gold-Size  for   Burnish-Gilding,— Grind  fine  sal-ammoniac 

well  with  a  muller  and  stone  ;  scrape  into  it  a  little  beef  suet, 
and  grind  all  wet  together  ;  after  which,  mix  in  with  a  pallet- 
knife  a  small  proportion  of  parchment-size  with  a  double  propor- 
tion of  water.  When  about  to  use,  add  parchment-size  until  it 
will  just  flow  from  the  brush. 

Another. — Grind  a  lump  of  tobacco-pipe  clay  into  a  very  stiff 
paste  with  thin  size  ;  add  a  small  quantity  of  ruddle  and  fine 
black  lead,  ground  very  fine,  and  temper  the  whole  with  a  small 


86  THE   HARDWOOD   FINISHER. 

piece  of  tallow.  When  ready  to  use,  reduce  with  parchment 
size  until  it  will  just  flow  from  the  brush. 

Another. — Grind  separately  in  water,  i  Ib.  Armenian  bole,  2 
ozs.  red  lead,  a  sufficient  quantity  of  black  lead  ;  mix,  and  re- 
grind  with  a  small  quantity  of  olive  oil.  Reduce  with  parchment 
size  to  the  proper  consistency. 

To  Prevent  Gold  Adhering,— Either  one  of  the  following 
methods  will  prevent  gold-leaf  or  bronze  from  adhering  to  the 
surface  beyond  the  outlines  of  the  sizing  laid  on  to  receive  it : 

1.  Whiting  used  dry,  and  applied  by  means  of  a  pounce  bag. 

2.  Whiting  mixed  in  water,  and  applied  with  a  soft  brush. 
When  the  water  has  evaporated,  dust  off  the  superfluous  whiting 
with  an  ordinary  paint  duster.     By  this  method  a  very  thin  coat- 
ing of  whiting  remains,  which  is  free  from  any  grittiness.      One 
advantage   gained   by   the  use  of  whiting   thus   applied   is,    it 
furnishes  a  whitish  ground  over  which  clear  varnish  or  oil-size 
may  be  distinctly  seen  as  the  striping  progresses.     After  the  leaf 
or  bronze  has  been  applied,  the  work  must  be  carefully  washed, 
so  as  to  insure  the  removal  of  the  whiting. 

3.  White  of  egg  reduced  with  water,  and  applied  with  apiece 
of  sponge. 

4.  A  thin  wash  of  starch  water,  either  brushed  on  with  a  flat 
camel-hair  brush,  or  applied  with  a  soft  sponge. 

5.  Take  ball  liquorice  and  water,  a  weak  solution,  and  apply 
with  a  soft  brush.     This  may  be  kept  in  a  bottle  ready  for  use  at 
any  time. 

6.  Cut  a  new  potato  in  two,  amd  rub  over  the  part  to  be 
sized  with   the  raw  face  exposed,  allowing  the  juice  to  remain 
until  dry. 

It  will  be  observed  that  any  substance  which  interposes  a  film 
over  the  varnish,  itself  being  free  from  tackiness  and  readily 
removed  by  water,  will  answer  the  purpose. 

Oil  Gilding, — Applying  the  Gold. — If  the  wood  to  be  gilded  is 
finished  with  varnish  or  otherwise,  no  additional  foundation  is 
necessary  upon  which  to  lay  the  gold-leaf ;  if  the  wood  is  not 


THE    HARDWOOD   FINISHER.  87 

finished,  after  it  has  been  smoothed  and  dusted,  give  it  one  or 
two  coats  of  parchment  size,  after  it  is  perfectly  dry  and  hard, 
again  smoothing  the  surface  with  fine  sand-paper.  That  the  gold 
may  not  adhere  to  any  part  of  the  work  except  where  the  size  is 
hard,  powder  the  surface  lightly  with  whiting  from  a  pounce- 
bag,  which  is  a  small  bag  made  of  material  sufficiently  loose 
to  permit  the  powdered  whiting  to  sift  through  as  fine  dust ;  if 
preferred,  any  of  the  preceding  receipts  for  that  purpose  can  be 
used  instead.  Remove  the  surplus  whiting  with  the  dusting- 
brush,  and  the  work  is  then  ready  for  the  size.  Apply  this  with 
a  sable  or  fit  brush  of  the  proper  size,  carefully  observing  to 
make  the  outer  lines  of  the  design  clear  and  sharp,  that  the  work 
may  not  appear  ragged.  Let  the  size  remain  until  it  feels  tacky, 
when  the  gold  may  be  applied.  This  is  the  most  difficult  part  of 
the  operation,  and  experience  is  necessary  before  gold-leaf  can 
be  laid  smoothly  without  a  wrinkle  or  a  break.  Turn  a  leaf  of 
gold  out  of  the  book  upon  the  cushion  ;  breathe  gently  upon  the 
centre  of  the  leaf  and  it  will  lay  flat  on  the  cushion  ;  cut  it  to  the 
proper  size  by  bringing  the  knife  perpendicularly  over  it, 
and  sawing  it  gently  until  divided.  Take  your  tip  (a  brush  used 
for  the  purpose)  and  after  drawing  it  lightly  over  your  hair 
to  remove  any  particles  or  dust  that  may  be  upon  it,  breathe  upon 
it  gently,  which  will  dampen  it  sufficiently  to  cause  the  leaf  of 
gold  to  adhere  to  it  ;  lay  the  tip  upon  the  leaf  of  gold 
and  carefully  transfer  it  to  the  work  ;  blow  upon  it  gently  and 
it  will  straighten  out  and  adhere.  It  may  be  rendered 
quite  smooth  by  slightly  dabbing  it  with  a  bit  of  cotton. 
In  about  an  hour  wash  off  the  superfluous  gold  from  the  edges, 
with  a  sponge  and  water.  If  the  article  is  to  be  exposed 
to  the  weather  or  much  wear,  the  gilding  may  be  varnished  with 
copal  varnish. 

Burnish-Gilding.-— As  previously  stated,  this  process  requires  a 
specially  prepared  foundation  upon  which  to  lay  the  gold,  and  as 
the  preparation  of  this  foundation  is  a  distinct  trade,  the 
furniture  dealer  or  cabinet-maker  seldom  finds  it  necessary 


88  THE    HARDWOOD   FINISHER. 

to  undertake  it,  the  articles  corning  to  his  hand  ready-prepared 
for  gilding  ;  but  as  in  repairing  picture-frames,  cornices,  mirror 
frames,  etc.,  it  frequently  becomes  necessary  to  renew  the 
foundation,  a  comprehensive  description  of  the  whole  process  is 
given.  . 

Preparing  the  Wood-WOrk,— After  smoothing  and  dusting  the 
work,  coat  the  frames  in  every  part  with  boiling-hot  parchment- 
size,  as  previously  described,  then  mix  a  sufficient  quantity 
of  whiting  with  size  to  the  consistency  of  thick  cream,  and  with 
it  by  means  of  a  brush,  coat  every  part  of  the  frame  several  times, 
permitting  each  coat  to  become  perfectly  dry  before  proceeding 
with  the  next.  The  wood  will  thus  be  covered  with  a  layer 
of  hard  whiting  nearly  or  quite  a  sixteenth  of  an  inch  in 
thickness.  The  size  must  not  be  too  thick,  and  when  mixed 
with  the  whiting  should  not  be  so  hot  as  the  preliminary  coat  of 
size. 

Polishing, — When  the  preparations  are  quite  dry,  clean 
and  polish  them.  To  do  this,  wet  a  small  piece  at  a  time,  and, 
with  a  smooth,  fine  piece  of  cloth,  dipped  in  water,  rub  the  part 
till  all  the  bumps  and  inequalities  are  removed  ;  and  for  those 
parts  where  the  fingers  will  not  enter,  as  the  mouldings,  etc., 
wind  the  wet  cloth  round  a  piece  of  wood,  and  by  this  means 
make  the  surface  all  smooth  and  even  alike. 

Where  there  is  carved  work,  etc.,  it  will  sometimes  be 
necessary  to  bring  the  mouldings  to  their  original  sharpness 
by  means  of  chisels,  gouges,  etc.,  as  the  preparation  will  be  apt 
to  fill  up  all  the  finer  parts  of  the  work,  which  must  be  thus 
restored.  It  is  sometimes  the  practice,  after  polishing,  to  go 
over  the  work  once  with  fine  yellow  or  Roman  ochre  ;  but  this  is 
rarely  necessary. 

Applying  the  Size, — Select  the  proper  gold  size  from  the 
receipts  previously  given  ;  add  parchment  size  until  it  will  just 
flow  from  the  brush  ;  make  it  quite  hot,  and  apply  it  to  the  wood 
with  a  very  soft  brush,  taking  care  not  to  make  the  first  coat  too 
thick  ;  let  it  dry  and  give  two  or  three  successive  coats,  after 


THE  HARDWOOD   FINISHER.  89 

the  last  brushing  it  with  a  stiff  brush  to  remove  any  inequalities. 
The  work  is  then  ready  for  the  gold. 

Laying  the  gold.  The  manipulation  of  the  gold  leaf  has  been 
described  under  the  heading  OIL  GILDING.  In  the  paint  now 
being  described,  size  used  (being  water-size,  which  previously  ex- 
plained is  permitted  to  become  hard  and  dry  after  being 
applied)  must  be  moistened  to  cause  the  gold-leaf  to  adhere  to  it. 
For  this  purpose,  with  a  long-haired  camel-hair  pencil,  dipped  in 
water,  go  over  as  much  of  the  work  as  you  intend  the  piece  of  gold  to 
cover;  then  lay  the  gold  upon  it  in  the  manner  previously  explained. 
Be  sure  that  the  part  to  which  the  gold  is  applied  is  sufficiently  wet ; 
indeed  it  must  be  floating,  or  the  gold  will  be  apt  to  crack.  Pro- 
ceed in  this  manner  a  little  at  a  time,  and  do  not  attempt  to  cover 
too  much  at  once,  until  by  experience  you  are  going  to  handle 
the  gold  with  freedom. 

Burnishingi — When  the  work  is  covered  with  gold,  set  it  by 
to  dry ;  there  is  a  particular  state  or  degree  of  dryness,  known 
only  by  experience  in  which  the  moulding  is  in  a  fit  state  for  bur- 
ishing ;  it  will  probably  be  ready  to  burnish  in  about  eight  or  ten 
hours,  but  it  will  depend  on  the  warmth  of  the  room  or  state  of 
the  air. 

When  it  is  ready,  those  parts  intended  to  be  burnished  must 
be  dusted  with  a  soft  brush  ;  then  wiping  the  burnisher  with  a 
piece  of  soft  wash-leather  (quite  dry)  begin  to  burnish  about  an 
inch  or  two  in  length  at  a  time,  taking  care  not  to  bear  too  hard, 
but  with  a  gentle  and  quick  motion,  applying  the  tool  until  all 
the  parts  of  the  surface  are  equally  bright. 

Matting  OP  Dead  Goldi — Certain  portions  only  of  the  work  are 
burnished,  according  to  the  fancy,  and  the  facility  with  which 
the  burnishing  tool  can  be  applied  ;  the  remaining  parts  are  now 
to  be  deprived  of  their  metallic  lustre,  to  make  a  more  effective 
contrast  with  the  burnishing.  The  parts  thus  treated  are  said  to 
be  matted  or  dead-gold.  The  process  is  as  follows  : 

Grind  some  vermillion  or  yellow  ochre  very  fine,  and  mix  a 
very  small  portion  either  with  the  parchment  size  or  with  the 


90  THE   HARDWOOD   FINISHER. 

white  of  an  egg,  and  with  a  very  soft  brush  lay  it  evenly  on  the 
parts  to  be  dulled ;  if  well  done,  it  will  add  greatly  to  the  beauty 
of  the  work.  Previous  to  matting,  the  work  must  be  well  cleared 
of  superfluous  gold,  by  means  of  a  soft  brush. 

Finishing- — In  elaborate  works  it  is  frequently  impossible  to  lay 
gold-leaf  into  all  the  intricacies  of  an  elaborate  design,  and  the 
parts  thus  left  bare  must  be  finished  by  touching  up  with  a 
small  brush  charged  with  shell-gold,  or  gold-powder,  mixed  with 
gum-Arabic  to  the  proper  consistency.  The  following  receipt  de- 
scribes the  preparation  of  shell-gold  : 

Shelled  Gold. — Take  any  quantity  of  leaf-gold  and  grind  it 
with  a  small  portion  of  honey,  to  a  fine  powder,  add  a  little  gum- 
Arabic  and  sugar-candy,  with  a  little  water,  and  mix  it  well 
together  ;  let  it  dry. 

Silver  Size, — Grind  pipe-clay  fine  with  a  little  black-lead  and 
good  soap,  and  add  parchment-size  as  directed  for  gold-size. 

Composition  for  Frame  Ornaments,— The  ornaments  for  gilded 

mirror-frames,  etc.,  are  usually  moulded  from  some  plastic  sub- 
stance that  is  somewhat  tougher  and  more  durable  than  the  ordi- 
nary gilding  foundation  of  whiting  and  size.  The  proper  moulds 
being  prepared  they  are  thoroughly  rubbed  upon  the  inside  with 
sweet  oil,  aud  the  composition  firmly  pressed  in ;  after  removing 
the  mould  the  cast  may  be  dried  by  a  gentle  heat,  or  while  still 
plastic  it  can  be  applied  in  its  proper  place  and  bent  into  any 
position.  Following  are  receipts  for  composition  : 

Dissolve  i  Ib.  of  glue  in  i  gallon  of  water.  In  another  kettle 
boil  together  2  Ibs.  of  resin,  i  gill  of  Venice  turpentine,  and  i 
pint  of  linseed  oil ;  mix  altogether  in  one  kettle,  and  boil  and 
stir  till  the  water  has  evaporated.  Turn  the  whole  into  a  tub  of 
finely-rolled  whiting,  and  work  till  it  is  the  consistency  of  dough. 

Boil  7  Ibs.  of  best  glue  in  7  half-pints  of  water.  Melt  3  Ibs.  of 
white  resin  in  3  pints  of  raw  linseed  oil.  When  the  above  has 
been  well-boiled  put  them  into  a  large  vessel  and  simmer  them 
for  half  an  hour,  stirring  the  mixture  and  taking  care  that  it  does 
not  boil  over.  The  whole  must  then  be  turned  into  a  box  of 


THE   HARDWOOD   FINISHER.  91 

whiting  rolled  and  sifted,  and  mixed  till  it  is  of  the  consistency 
of  dough. 

To  Manipulate  Gold  Leaf,— Get  a  piece  of  paper,  thin  enough 
to  show  shadow  of  gold-leaf  through,  slightly  wax  it,  lay  it  on  gold- 
leaf,  the  latter  will  then  adhere,  and  can  be  easily  worked  and 
will  come  off  clean.  The  paper  should  be  slightly  larger  than  the 
gold-leaf,  and  the  fingers  passed  over  the  paper  to  make  the  gold- 
leaf  adhere. 

Bronzing. — This  is  a  process  for  imitating  on  metal,  plaster 
wood,  or  other  material,  the  peculiar  appearance  produced  by 
chemical  action  upon  the  surface  of  bronze  metal.  It  is  accom- 
plished by  spreading  over  the  surface  of  the  material  to  be  orna- 
mented a  very  thin  coating  of  bronze-powder,  which  is  caused  to 
adhere  either  by  applying  it  directly  upon  a  coating  of  any  of  the 
sizes  mentioned  in  the  foregoing  pages,  or  by  mixing  with  a  ve- 
hicle, such  as  gum-Arabic  or  transparent  varnish.  The  latter  is 
most  desirable,  as  in  the  other  case,  being  subject  to  the  direct 
action  of  the  atmosphere,  the  bronze-powder  soon  tarnishes.  In 
ornamenting  furniture,  bronzing  is  generally  employed  to  repre- 
sent gilding,  a  variety  of  bronze  called  gold -bronze  being  used, 
which  affords  an  excellent  imitation  but  is  not  very  lasting.  It  is 
usually  applied  after  the  completion  of  the  other  finishing  proc- 
esses, the  ground-work  being  prepared  in  the  manner  de- 
scribed under  OIL-GILDING,  and  the  size  likewise  applied  as 
there  described.  A  small  wad  of  cotton  batting  is  then  dipped  in 
the  bronze  and  passed  gently  over  the  sized  portions,  causing  the 
bronze  to  adhere.  In  the  other  method — that  of  applying  the 
bronze  by  means  of  a  vehicle — the  preliminaries  of  whiting  the 
ground  and  sizing  are  not  necessary,  a  small  quantity  of  bronze 
being  simply  mixed  with  the  vehicle  employed  to  such  a  degree 
of  fluidity  that  it  will  flow  easily,  and  in  that  condition  applied 
with  a  fine  brush.  Many  preparations  are  used  as  vehicles  such 
as  transparent  varnish  thinned  with  turpentine,  gum-Arabic,  dis- 
solved in  water,  and  gold-size  reduced  with  parchment-size. 
There  are  a  variety  of  colors  in  bronze-powders,  and  to  produce 


92  THE   HARDWOOD   FINISHER. 

the  best  effect  the  size  or  vehicle  should  be  of  a  color  similar  to 
that  of  the  bronze  used ;  in  gold-size  the  coloring  pigment  is 
ochre,  and  in  its  place,  for  green-bronze,  or  blue-bronze,  may  be 
employed  respectively  verditer,  vermillion  or  Prussian  blue,  a 
very  small  quantity  being  sufficient.  In  bronzing  on  painted 
work  the  ground  should  be  as  nearly  as  possible  the  color  of  the 
bronze  to  be  applied. 


THE   END. 


INDEX. 


A 


filler  for  rosewood,  18. 
Another  method  of  filling,  1 8. 
A  good  recipe  for  French  polish,  47. 
Another  recipe  for  French  polish,  47. 
A  good  polish,  48. 
A  polish  that  will  resist  water,  48. 
A  French  polish  reviver,  49. 
Antique  oak,  53. 
Ash,  63. 

A  fine  yellow  dye,  8l. 
A  bright  yellow  dye,  81. 
Applying  size,  88. 

DERRY  BROS,  hard  oil  finish,  25. 

Brushes  for  varnishing,  35. 

Birch,  64. 

Basswood,  69. 

Beech,  69. 

Butternut,  69. 

Brown  stain,  77. 

Brown  stain  by  another  method,  77. 

Black  dye,  77. 

Bright  green  dye,  81. 

Bright  red  dye,  82. 

Burnish  gilding,  87. 

Burnishing,  89. 


G 


CARRIAGE  varnish,  41. 
Chamois  skin,  41. 
Cleanliness  in  polishing,  42. 
Cotton  wads  for  polishing,  45. 
Cherry,  62. 
Cedar,  69. 
Chestnut,  69. 
Cypress,  70. 

Cedarvvood  imitation,  77. 
Composition  for  frame  ornaments,  90. 


UEAD  finish,  49. 

Dying  wood,  79. 

CLM,  69. 


JT ILLER  for  light  woods,  17. 

Filler  for  cherry,  18. 

Filler  for  oak,  18. 

Filler  for  rosewood,  18. 

Filler  for  mahogany,  redwood  and 
cherry,  20. 

F.  W.  Devoe  &  Co.'s  wax  finishing, 
24. 

Finishing,  varnishing  and  polishing, 
27. 

Flowing,  42. 

French  polishing,  44. 

First  and  best  recipe  for  French  pol- 
ishing, 47. 

Finish — dead,  49. 

Fine  black  dye,  80. 

Fine  blue  dye,  80. 

Finishing,  90. 


G 


LUE  size,  34. 
General  recipes,  73. 
Green  dye,  8l. 
Grey  dye,  83. 

Gilding,  silvering  and  bronzing,  83. 
Gilding,  84. 
Gold  size  for  burnish  gilding,  85. 


E 


.ARD  oil  finish,  25. 
Hard  oil  finishing,  34. 
Hemlock,  70. 


(93) 


INDEX. 


INTRODUCTION,  5. 

Imitation  oak  stain,  68. 
Imitation  mahogany  stain,  68. 
Imitation  rosewood  stain,  68. 
Imitation  walnut  stain,  68. 

LIQUID  for  brightening  and  set- 
ting colors,  82. 

MURPHY'S    transparent   varnish, 
44- 

Mahogany,  58. 
Miscellaneous,  78. 
Matting  or  dead  gold,  89. 


0, 


"IL  shellac,  33. 
Other  French  polish  recipes,  47. 
Oak,  52. 
Oak  stains,  58. 
Oak  stain  «  No.  2,"  58. 
Orange  dye,  83. 
Oil  size  for  oil  gilding,  85. 
Oil  gilding,  86. 


PRELIMINARY,  9. 

Preparation  of  wood  for  staining,  19. 
Polishing  and  finishing,  27. 
Preparing  shellac,  32. 
Pumice  stone,  39. 
Prepared  spirits,  48. 
Polish  for  turner's  work,  49. 
Pine,  65. 
Poplar,  69. 
Purple  dye,  82. 
Parchment  size,  85. 
Preparing  wood-work,  88. 
Polishing,  88. 


R. 


CUBBING  and  finishing,  29. 
Rubber  for  polishing,  46. 


Rosewood,  71. 
Red  dye,  82. 


E  and  sizing,  26. 
Staining,   finishing,   varnishing    and 

polishing,  27. 
Shellacing,  30. 
Shellac,  preparing,  32. 
Sandpapering,  36. 
"  Sag  "  in  varnish,  37. 
Sweating  varnish,  40. 
Sycamore,  70. 
Stains,  75. 
Silver  grey  dye,  83. 
Sizes,  85. 
Shelled  gold,  90. 
Silver  size,  90. 

THE  various   woods,  their   stains 
and  finish,  51. 
To  brighten  stains,  78. 
The  requisites,  84. 
To  prevent  gold  adhering,  86. 
To  manipulate  gold  leaf,  91. 


ARNISHING  and  polishing,  27. 
Varnishing  hardwood,  35. 
Varnish  brushes,  35. 
Veneered  panels,  43. 
Varnish  polishing,  43. 
Varnish  finish  for  cheap  work,  50. 
Varnish  pans,  51. 


We 


OOD  fillers  and  wood-filling,  14. 
Walnut  filler,  medium,  17. 
Walnut  filler  for  wax  finish,  17. 
Walnut  filler  for  first-class  work,  17. 
Wheeler's  wood-filler,  22. 
Wax  finish,  50. 
Walnut,  68. 


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The  Universal  Carpenter  and  Jolner.-By  FRED.  T.  HODGSON,  author 

of  "The  Steel  Square  and  Its  Uses,"  "Practical  Carpentry,"  &c. 

To  be  handsomely  illustrated,  and  published  in  four  parts,  as  follows  :— 

Part  I  will  contain  Carpenter's  Geometry,  presented  in  an  easy  form,  with 
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get  and  work  difficult  "cuts  "  and  pitches. 

Part  II  will  be  an  introduction  to  the  Art  and  Science  of  Carpentry  proper, 
with  working  drawings  of  Roofs,  Bridges,  Bevel  and  Skew  Work. 

Part  III  will  contain  a  practical  treatise  on  American  Joinery,  with  descrip- 
tions mid  examples  of  some  of  the  best  work  in  existence.  This  Part  will  be  full  of  ex- 
cellent material  for  the  Joiner  and  Finisher. 

Part  IV  will  contain  a  large  number  of  examples  in  mixed  Joiners-  and  Car- 
pentry, Kules  for  Working.  Methods  of  Working.  Tables.  Data  for  Estimating.  Form- 
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It  will  be  the  aim  of  the  author  to  make  this  work  the  most  complete  treatise  on 
Carpentry  and  Joinery  published  to  date.  It  will  be  issued  in  Four  Parts,  each  Part 
consisting  of  not  less  than  100  large  royal  octavo  pages,  printed  on  fine  paper,  and 
strongly  bound  in  stiff  paper  covers.  The  price  will  be  one,  dollar  per  Part ;  am!  when 
complete  the  whole  will  torm  one  volume,  the  price  of  which,  handsomely  bound  in 
extra  cloth,  will  be  $5. 

The  First  Part  will  be  ready  about  the  first  of  August,  1891,  and  the  remaining  Parts 
at  intervals  of  about  three  months. 

To  those  sending  advance  orders  for  two  Parts,  accompanied  with  the  cash,  we  will 
send  a  coupon  which  will  be  accepted  by  us  as  payment  in  full  for  binding  the  complete 
work  in  neat  cloth,  with  gilt  title. 


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